speaker's brief - aph
TRANSCRIPT
SPEAKER'S BRIEF
43 r d Parliament
No¥ember2011
Prepared by the Department of the House ofRepresent tatiYes
Contents
Contents I
Introduction..... 1
Contact details for the department's Executive 1
1 The Speaker 3
Roles 3
Representative role 3
Procedural role 4
Practicalities 4
Services in relation to the House 4
Authority to administer oath or affirmation 5
Statutory responsibilities 5
Responsibilities regarding the Department of Parliamentary Services 5
Committees and associations 5
Selection Committee 6
Committee on Appropriations and Administration 6
Joint House Committee 7
Parliamentary associations 8
Security Management Board ....8
Unofficial advisory committees 9
POITAG 9
Media 9Broadcasting of parliamentary proceedings 10
Televising of parliamentary proceedings 10
Media rules including filming and photography within the Chamber and building 10
Media review 11
Other sources of advice 11
Parliamentary Service Commissioner ..11
Parliamentary Service Merit Protection Commissioner 11
2 Speaker's facilities and entitlements 13
Speaker's office 13
Accommodation ..13
Security 13
Hardware and software facilities 13
In-house printing 13
Speaker's staff 14
Travel 14
In Canberra 14
Provision of motor vehicle for the Speaker—Fringe Benefits Tax implications 15
I
Travelling allowance 15
Family entitlements (including some comments on the Speaker's travel) 16
Official hospitality 16
Chamber and Main Committee: Advice and support 17
Advice 17
Standing Orders 17
Speaker's Panel 18
Speaker's vote 18
Chamber operations 19
Security 19
Chamber practice 19
Matter of Public Importance 20
Distinguished visitors 20
Legislation 21
Legislative drafting services 21
Documents presented in the House 21
Procedural publications 22
Second Chamber 22
Right of reply 23
Information technology 23
Live Minutes/Votes Officer's Minutes system 23
Technology in the Chamber 23
Chamber/Main Committee captioning system 23
Areas of the department responsible for Chamber support 24
Table Office 24
Chamber Research Office 24
Serjeant-at-Arms 25
Current developments 26
Redevelopment of the Document Production System 26
Electronic petitions 26
Electronic Parliamentary Papers Series 26
Redevelopment of the Procedural Records System 26
Finalisation of projects 27
Administration of the Department of the House of Representatives ..........29
Corporate governance 29
Legislative structures 29
Senior management 30
Consultative Committee 30
Corporate and business plans ....31
Service charters 32
Accountability and external scrutiny 32
Management of people 32
Staffing 32
Bullying and harassment 33
Investors in People 33
Workplace relations issues 34
Graduate recruitment program 35
Financial matters 35
Overview 35
Financial Position as at 31 October 2011 37
Committee on Appropriations and Administration 39
Medium to long-term viability (3-10 years) 40
Internal audit, risk management and fraud control 40
Cooperation and coordination across the Parliament 41
Coordinating meetings 41
Podger review and shared services arrangements 41
Parliamentary Budget Office 41
Coordination across the parliamentary departments 42
International activities 43
Overview 43
Official incoming and outgoing parliamentary delegations 43
Parliamentary organisations 44
IPU 44
Parliamentary Groups.... 44
CPA 45
APPF..... 45
International conferences 45
APPF 45
IPU .45
CPA 46
Presiding Officers and Clerks Conference 46
Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers Conference 46
Other programs 46
Members' entitlements and services ....49
Members' services 49
Members' salaries 49
Members' survey 49
Bulletin 49
Members' briefings 50
Former Members' association 50
Facilities 50
Accommodation and chamber seating 50
Review of accommodation in Parliament House 51
Transport 51
Newspapers 51
Flags 52
iis
Postage allowance 52
Stationery and stores 52
Messengerial attendants 52
Parliamentary assistants 52
Information technology .....53
Responsibilities 53
Equipment allocation 53
Software 53
Electronic mailboxes 54
Internet site 54
Printing 54
7 Committee services 57
Overview 57
Staffing structure of committees 57
Information technology 58
Electronic management of committee documents 58
Electronic accessibility of committee reports and proceedings 59
Oversight of committees 59
Liaison Committee of Chairs and Deputy Chairs 59
8 Community engagement 61
Introduction 61
Products 61
Magazine—About the House 61
Television—About the House and MPI 61
Electronic information services 62
Media liaison 62
Educational activities and materials 62
Seminars 62
University lecture program 62
Australian National Internships Program (ANIP) 62
Community publications and resource material 64
Public Activities in Parliament House 64
2013 Open Day and 25th anniversary of the opening of Parliament House 64
Public visitors during proceedings 64
Public displays 65
9 Parliamentary education 67
Parliamentary Education Office (PEO) 67
School visits to Parliament House 68
Government Parliamentary and Civics Education Rebate (previously the Citizenship Visits
Program - CVP) 68
sv
Attachment 1 - Corporate Plan 2010 - 2013 69
Attachment 2 - The department's service charter,,.. . 74
Attachment 3 - Community service standards 78
Attachment 4 - Members' survey results 2011 .....81
Attachment 5 -Committees supported by the department 83
Attachment 6 - Guidelines on provision of services to the Speaker 84
Attachment 7 - Agreement for a Better Parliament: Parliamentary Reform (6 September 2010) ..,,87
Speaker's brief] 2011
IntroductionThese notes outline key roles and responsibilities of the Speaker and the Department of the
House of Representatives (the department), including support provided to the Speaker and
Members by the department.
Clerk Mr Bernard Wright 62771
Deputy Clerk Mr David Elder 62771
Clerk Assistant (Committees) Ms Joanne Towner 62771
Clerk Assistant (Table) Ms Claressa Surtees 6277<
Serjeant-at-Arms Ms Robyn McClelland 6277
Speaker's brief i 2011
The Speaker
The Speakership is the most important office in the House of Representatives: the effect of
section 35 of the Constitution is that the House cannot operate without a Speaker. The
Speaker's authority is derived from the House, to which his or her duty lies and to which he
or she is answerable.
The importance of the Presiding Officers is acknowledged by their position in the Australian
Order of Precedence (a formal list used to determine issues of protocol at official functions),
where they rank directly after the Governor-General and State Governors, the Prime
Minister, and a State Premier within that Premier's State.
A Member elected Speaker is entitled, while Speaker, to the title 'Honourable', which, with
the approval of the Sovereign, may be retained for life. This privilege is usually given to
those who have served as Speaker for three years or more.
In the Chamber and for ceremonial occasions the Speaker may wear a black gown.
Traditionally, Speakers from the non-Labor parties have worn the formal dress but Speakers
from the Australian Labor Party have not done so.
On assuming the Speakership a Member becomes, for certain purposes, the spokesperson
for the House.
Official communications from and to the House are signed by and addressed to the Speaker.
The Speaker receives delegations from other Parliaments and special visitors on behalf of
the House.
As you are aware, in representing the House the Speaker represents and is responsible to
the House and all of its Members. He or she is not responsible to the executive government
and seeks to preserve the House's independence from it.
The Speakership is an office of such significance that the representative role necessarily
involves the occupant in important official ceremonial and representational activities. Such
activities may be initiated within the Parliament or within government - for example
CERHOS or the Australian War Memorial. One of the consequences of the occupancy of the
Speakership is the obligation to forego activities which are properly available to other
members; the Speaker is not free to engage in unofficial activities which could, for example,
give rise to questions about associations with particular interests.
Speaker's brief I 2011
As Presiding Officer, the Speaker chairs the meetings of the House. The Speaker supervises
rather than participates in proceedings; he or she does not normally take part in debate and
does not vote in the House except in the event of numbers being equal, in which case the
Speaker has a casting vote. The Speaker makes statements or announcements to the House
as necessary, and may be asked questions on matters of parliamentary administration.
Notwithstanding the fact that the Speakership in Australia has long been regarded as a
political appointment, successive Speakers have sought to discharge their duties with
impartiality.
Each sitting day the Speaker meets with the Clerk, the Deputy Clerk, the Deputy Speaker and
(as of the start of the 43rd Parliament) the Second Deputy Speaker to be briefed on the
program for the day and to discuss any procedural or other issues. The Speaker's senior
adviser has also attended.
The Speaker has traditionally taken the Chair in the Chamber at particular times each sitting
day. These are at the opening of proceedings, during Question Time, during the
adjournment debate and, in this Parliament, during divisions. Further details on the powers,
functions and duties of the Speaker are set out at pp. 170-180 in House of Representatives
Practice 5th ed.
The Speaker has responsibilities in relation to the administration of the House of
Representatives and, with the President of the Senate, the administration of services
provided jointly to Members and Senators and the operation of Parliament House.
In some ways the Speaker has a role in relation to the department that is analogous to that
of a Minister of State in relation to a government department. The Chief Executive Officer of
the department is the Clerk of the House who is responsible for the efficient and effective
administration of the department's resources.
Jointly with the President of the Senate, the Speaker has an equivalent 'ministerial' role in
respect of the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) (see comments at p. 5 and the
separate brief to be prepared by DPS).
The Parliamentary Precincts Act 1988 (Precincts Act) gives the Presiding Officers
responsibility for control and management of Parliament House and its immediate
surroundings (the precincts). They have overall responsibility for security services and may,
subject to any order of either House, take any action they consider necessary for the control
and management of the precincts. In respect of the ministerial wing these powers are
subject to any limitations and conditions agreed between the Presiding Officers and the
Speaker's brief j 2011
executive government. The Speaker exercises sole authority over the House of
Representatives area in Parliament House.
At the beginning or renewal of each Speaker's term of office the Speaker is authorised by
the Governor-General to administer the oath or affirmation of allegiance to any Member not
present at the opening of Parliament and to new Members elected during the course of a
Parliament. We expect that a Commission will be provided to you early in the new year.
The Speaker is responsible for the issue of writs for by-elections. The Speaker also has a
variety of specific duties laid down by a number of laws, and in particular by the
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.
Jointly with the President of the Senate, the Speaker has something of the 'ministerial
equivalent' role in respect of the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) as he or she
has with respect to this department.
DPS was formed on 1 February 2004 following the amalgamation of three departments: the
Department of the Parliamentary Library, the Department of the Parliamentary Reporting
Staff and the Joint House Department (see the section on the Podger Review at p. 41).
DPS provides information services, analysis and advice to the Parliament through the
Parliamentary Library; Hansard transcription, information technology, communications and
broadcasting services; a range of building and estate management services and facilities; and
security of the Parliament House building, its occupants and external perimeter.
The Secretary of DPS is Mr Alan Thompson who reports directly to you and the President of
the Senate. Contact information for Mr Thompson is:
Tel: 6277
Fax: 6277
A separate brief on DPS will be provided by that department.
The Speaker is a member of several parliamentary associations and committees and receives
advice from a number of committees as well. The parliamentary committees include: the
Selection Committee (Chair - see notes below); the Committee on Appropriations and
Administration (Chair - see notes at p. 6); the House Committee (Chair - see notes at p. 7);
and the Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings (Chair - see
notes at p. 10).
Speaker's brief j 2011
Pursuant to the Agreement for a Better Parliament: Parliamentary Reform agreed to by the
government, opposition and non-aligned Members after the 2010 election (Attachment 7),
the House has re-established a Selection Committee in this Parliament, with responsibility
for selecting and programming private Members' business and committee and delegation
business. This role had been undertaken by a meeting of party whips in the 42nd Parliament,
although there had been such a committee in earlier Parliaments chaired by the Deputy
Speaker.
Established under Standing Order 222, the Selection Committee has retained the traditional
roles of not only selecting this business but also allocating times for individual business
items, as well as times for individual speeches. Two significant roles have been added. One
is that the Committee looks at all bills introduced and has the power to refer bills directly to
House or joint committees for inquiry; this power can be exercised by an individual member
of the Committee. The second is that the Committee can recommend items of private
Members' business for a vote of the House.
The Committee consists of 11 members: you as Chair (or, in your absence, the Deputy
Speaker), the chief whips of the three parties, three government Members, two opposition
Members and two non-aligned Members. The Committee typically meets twice each sitting
week on Tuesday and Wednesday (and sometimes on Thursday). As an aid to Members and
others, determinations and recommendations of the Selection Committee relating to items
of business before the House are reflected on the Notice Paper. Secretariat support is
provided by staff of the Table Office; the Secretary to the Committee is the Clerk Assistant
(Table), Ms Claressa Surtees (ext.f
In the previous Parliament, the department proposed to the then Speaker the establishment
of a House Appropriations and Administration Committee. The proposal has been widely
supported over the years, including by the Standing Committee on Procedure in its 2010
report on the House committee system, and then as part of the reform agenda in the
Agreement for a Better Parliament: Parliamentary Reform agreed to by the government,
opposition and non-aligned Members after the 2010 election (Attachment 7).
The Appropriations and Administration Committee was established under Standing Order
222A in the 43rd Parliament to:
• consider estimates of the funding required for the operation of the Department of
the House of Representatives each year;
• provide to the Speaker for presentation to the House and transmission to the
Minister for Finance and Deregulation, the Committee's estimates of amounts for
inclusion in appropriation and supply bills for the Department of the House of
Representatives;
Speaker's brief! 2011X
• consider proposals for changes to the administration of the Department of the
House of Representatives or variations to services provided by the department;
• consider and report to the Speaker on any other matters of finance or services as
may be referred to it by the Speaker;
• consider and report to the House on any other matters of finance or services as may
be referred to it by the House;
• make an annual report to the House on its operations;
• consider the administration and funding of security measures affecting the House
and advise the Speaker and the House as appropriate; and
• consider any proposals for works in the parliamentary precincts that are subject to
parliamentary approval and report to the House on them as appropriate.
When conferring with the Senate Standing Committee on Appropriations and Staffing, the
House Appropriations and Administration Committee may:
• consider estimates of the funding required for the operation of the Department of
Parliamentary Services each year; and
• provide to the Speaker for presentation to the House and transmission to the
Minister for Finance and Deregulation, estimates of amounts for inclusion in
appropriation and supply bills for the Department of Parliamentary Services.
The House committee is not called an 'appropriations and staffing' committee, to reflect the
fact that under the Parliamentary Service Act 1999 the Clerk has responsibility for staffing
matters.
The Committee is chaired by you and has nine members (four government and four non-
government). It is supported by the Clerk, the Serjeant-at-Arms (Secretary to the
Committee) and officers of the department. To date the Committee has met six times,
presented its first report on Budget estimates and tabled its first Annual Report.
The House of Representatives House Committee is established under standing order 218 and
meets with the Senate House Committee pursuant to Standing Order 238, as the Joint House
Committee:
218 House Committee
(a) A House Committee shall be appointed to consider any matter
about the provision of facilities in Parliament House referred to it by
the House or the Speaker.
(b) The committee shall consist of seven members: the Speaker and six
other members.
Speaker's brief) 2011
238 Conferring with Senate Committees
A committee may confer with a similar committee of the Senate.
There are similar provisions in the Senate Standing Orders relating to the Senate's House
Committee.
You and the President are the joint chairs of the Committee.
In accordance with the terms of reference of each House Committee, the Joint House
Committee generally considers matters that are referred to it by the Presiding Officers, or by
the parliamentary departments where it is a matter which affects joint services. The
Presiding Officers usually also invite members of the Committee to raise their concerns
about the provision of amenities and services. Thus the Committee has acted as a forum for
its members to raise and consider matters relating to the provision of services and amenities
to Members and Senators in Parliament House.
The role of the Joint House Committee is advisory only. Executive responsibility for the
provision of services and amenities rests with the Presiding Officers and the parliamentary
departments. While the Committee can make recommendations, neither the Presiding
Officers nor the parliamentary departments are bound by decisions of the Committee. The
Serjeant-at-Arms is the notional secretary to the House Committee, and attends meetings of
the Joint House Committee, together with you and your Senior Adviser. The Secretary of
DPS provides secretariat support to the Joint House Committee.
With the President of the Senate, you are the Joint President of the Commonwealth of
Australia Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Joint President of the
Australian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Chairman and Joint President of
the Australian National Group of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (see the international
activities section of the brief at p. 43).
Security continues to be an important issue
Speaker's brief j 2011
The following advisory committees have been appointed in the past by the Presiding Officers
to provide advice to them:
• Presiding Officers Information Technology Advisory Group (POITAG) (see below for
details)
® Parliamentary Education Office Advisory Committee (see p. 67 for details)
• Artworks Advisory Committee (see DPS brief for details).
The advantage of such committees is that they widen the scope of advice available to the
Presiding Officers. They can serve as useful sounding boards and filters. Like all committees,
the key to their success lies very much in their membership. It is also important that there is
a good balance of views within each committee. The inclination in relation to POSTAG and
the advisory committee on the PEO can, naturally enough, be for enthusiastic users of
computers and for enthusiastic educationalists, respectively, to serve or to be asked to
serve. This obviously makes valuable expertise and experience available although it can
mean that the groups may be more enthusiastic than the general run of other Members not
involved in the subject areas.
The Group comprises approximately 11 Senators and Members. The Group's terms of
reference require it to provide advice to the Presiding Officers on the information
technology and communication needs of Senators and Members. In the 43rd Parliament
POSTAG is chaired by Senator Kate Lundy.
The Presiding Officers are responsible for media policy at Parliament House. The framework
for media access to the Parliament appears complex, and is shaped by legislation, Standing
Orders, resolutions of parliamentary committees and of the Houses themselves, and
guidelines and rules set by the Presiding Officers. The Serjeant-at-Arms, Deputy Serjeant-at-
Arms and senior staff in the Serjeant-at-Arms' Office are the principal advisers in relation to
media policy. These staff administer the various rules in relation to media policy on behalf
of the Speaker.
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Speaker's brief! 2011
Under the Parliamentary Proceedings Broadcasting Act 1946, the ABC makes a radio
broadcast of parliamentary proceedings whenever the Senate or the House of
Representatives is sitting. The role of the Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of
Parliamentary Proceedings is to regulate this radio broadcast, and the Committee has
determined the allocation of broadcast time, alternating between the Senate and the House.
You and the President of the Senate are exofficio members of the Committee, and in
accordance with practice, you are the Chair and the President is the Vice Chair. The Deputy
Serjeant-at-Arms is the secretary to the Committee. The Committee meets on an as
required basis, typically meeting only a few times over the life of a parliament. The
Committee has been more active in the 43rd Parliament, with members undertaking a review
of media arrangements in Parliament House (see below).
In relation to the televising of parliamentary proceedings, the Parliamentary Proceedings
Broadcasting Act refers only to the televising of joint sittings of Parliament. Each House
authorises the televising of its proceedings by means of resolutions and sets its own
conditions on broadcasters. Cameras operated by parliamentary staff (DPS) film the
proceedings of each sitting in both Chambers and film committee proceedings in some
committee rooms. These 'feeds' are used on the TV monitoring system in Parliament House,
for live webcasts on the Parliament's website and by free to air and cable TV networks.
Each Presiding Officer controls filming and photography in the areas of Parliament House
under her/his authority. Filming and photography in jointly controlled areas requires the
approval of both Presiding Officers. In 2002, the Presiding Officers approved consolidated
guidelines for filming, photography and media activity in the building; the current version
was updated in 2008. In comparison with similar national legislatures the guidelines give
generous access to the media, while protecting the privacy of Members and preserving the
dignity of the parliamentary institution. Requests for filming for commercial purposes
during sittings are unlikely to be approved under the guidelines. The Serjeant-at-Arms,
Deputy Serjeant-at-Arms and staff in the Serjeant-at-Arms' Office have administered these
guidelines on behalf of and in consultation with previous Speakers.
The more than 300 media personnel who have photographic passes for Parliament House
are referred to as the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery. Most of them are located in an
area of suites and studios at the southern end of the second floor of the Senate wing. While
each person regards themselves as independent in their professional capacity, they elect a
committee to represent them in various matters of administration and management. The
current officeholders are: President, Philip Hudson; Vice President, David Speers; and
Secretary, Jeremy Thompson. The Serjeant-at-Arms or Deputy Serjeant-at-Arms can provide
a further briefing in relation to media matters.
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Speaker's brief \ 2011
Members of the Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings are
undertaking a review of media arrangements in Parliament House, on behalf of the Presiding
Officers. The review is covering:
• the Presiding Officers' guidelines for filming and photography and general media
rules in Parliament House and its precincts;
• the resolutions of the two Houses that provide for the broadcasting of the
proceedings of the Houses and their committees;
• any other matters relating to the arrangements for the media in Parliament House
that may be relevant to the review; and
• enforcement of the guidelines, penalties for breaches, and media arrangements
applying in other legislatures.
Contributions have been received from Members and Senators, parliamentary departments,
the media, international and national legislatures, and other stakeholders. The next steps
are round table discussions with contributors, scheduled for the first sitting weeks in 2012.
Further information about the review is available from the review secretary and Deputy
Serjeant-at-Arms, Ms Siwan Davies (extf
The Parliamentary Service Commissioner is a statutory officer appointed under the
Parliamentary Service Act by the Presiding Officers. The Commissioner's functions are to
advise the Presiding Officers on the management policies and practices of the parliamentary
service and, at the request of the Presiding Officers, to inquire into and report on other
matters relating to the parliamentary service. The Podger review (see p. 41) is an example
of the work that the Commissioner can undertake for the Presiding Officers.
The Commissioner also holds the office of Public Service Commissioner.
The current Commissioner (appointed in December 2009) is Mr Stephen Sedgwick, to whom
you have direct access and who can be contacted as follows:
16 Furzer Street, Phillip ACT 2606
Tel: (02) 6202 3500
Fax: (02) 6202 3851
Email :^BBBBBBBB
The Parliamentary Service Merit Protection Commissioner is a statutory officer also
appointed under the Parliamentary Service Act by the Presiding Officers of the Parliament.
The Merit Protection Commissioner's functions under the Act are similar, in relation to the
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Speaker's brief J2011
parliamentary service, to the functions of the Public Service Merit Protection Commissioner.
They are essentially to:
• inquire into alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct
• inquire into any parliamentary service action requested by the Presiding Officers
• review any action in accordance with determinations that a parliamentary service
employee asks for in relation to their parliamentary service employment.
The Parliamentary Service Merit Protection Commissioner also holds the office of Public
Service Merit Protection Commissioner.
The current Commissioner is Ms Annwyn Godwin, to whom you also have direct access and
who can be contacted as follows:
16 Furzer Street, Phillip ACT 2606
Tel: (02) 6202 3500
Fax: (02) 6202 3851
Email; MKMHBBMHI
12
Speaker's brief S 2011- - ,„,',,'s"% ft, - '-' ",;,'",«, , * " " i f», '<*//' ffi A' jx"/r>{"•
Speaker's facilities and entitlements
The Speaker's suite consists of offices for you and your staff and includes formal rooms and
two courtyards for use in hosting official functions. In the formal rooms the suite has
purpose-designed furniture, some of which is classified as artworks, such as the dining table.
In your duties as Speaker you will be supported in relation to stationery and other requisites,
newspapers, postage and printing services and every effort will be made to accommodate
you and your staffs requests. In addition to the telephone, facsimile and internet access
you have in the Speaker's suite, you may wish to have additional access to these services at
your electorate office (and, if applicable, an additional office in the capital city of your home
State - see pp. 84-85), home residence and Canberra residence in support of the Speaker's
duties of office. The Serjeant-at-Arms' Office is responsible for managing the supply and
maintenance of all such services provided to your residences or electorate office.
Security
In the Speaker's Parliament House suite, computer workstations are provided for all staff of
the Speaker. Currently, eight computers are allocated: four standard desktop workstations
plus three laptop computers with three docking stations for the Speaker's advisers. A laptop
computer is issued to you. One high speed laser printer is provided. A networked
multi-function device with colour printing, scanning and copying capabilities is also provided.
Staff from the department's Valet Service (see p. 55) will provide training and support for
you and your staff for this device. Four Blackberry devices are allocated to your advisers.
The department's in-house printing service provides a range of printing for your office
including items such as invitations and place cards for Presiding Officers' functions held in
Parliament House. These items will be arranged through the International and Community
Relations Office when organising official hospitality. Printing for your office is for
parliamentary requirements but not for electorate purposes.
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Speaker's brief j 2011
The current approved staffing structure for the Speaker's Office and the Deputy Speaker's
Office is set out below. The Prime Minister will approve the staffing structure for your
Office.
Current Speaker's Office staffing
Staffing level Salary range
Senior Adviser (see note 1) $114,745-$139,467
Adviser x 2 (see note 2) $82,611-$116,465
Assistant Adviser (see note 2) $68,874-$82,611
Executive Assistant (see notes 2 and 3) $55,782-$65,977
Current Deputy Speaker's Office staffing
Staffing level
Assistant Adviser (see note 2)
Current Second Deputy Speaker's Office
Staffing level
Sessional assistant on sitting days
Salary range
$68,874-$82,611
staffing
Notes:
1. Salary range determined by the Prime Minister. The Speaker has the ability to
determine the salary within this range. A parliamentary staff allowance of $28,325
p.a. is currently paid.
2. A parliamentary staff allowance of $25,750 p.a. is currently paid.
3. Staff employed at this level may advance to the next level after one year of
experience at the top of the range.
The House of Representatives provides transport services to you while you are in Canberra.
As Deputy Speaker you elected to use an executive self drive vehicle; as this entitlement is
the same for Speaker, the vehicle continues to be available for your use. The Serjeant-at-
Arms' Office manages the lease plan for the vehicle, including all ongoing expenses such as
fuel purchased by you or your staff and mechanical servicing.
If you choose not to continue to use the leased vehicle, you may use Comcar exclusively
whilst in Canberra. The Serjeant-at-Arms' Office is available to discuss these Canberra travel
options with you or your staff.
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Speaker's brief! 2011
Under current arrangements, if the department provides you with a leased motor vehicle,
the department incurs a fringe benefits tax (FBT) expense and this is included on your
payment summary (group certificate) as notional income to be used for the calculation of
some surcharges or offsets and income tests relating to certain government benefits. There
are alternative means of providing you and your office with transport while in Canberra that
may reduce this FBT expense and the need to include the notional income on your payment
summary.
Normally when travelling on business an employee or associate is not liable for FBT as the
travel is not of a personal nature. As you are in Canberra for parliamentary business, it
would be assumed that the provision to you of a car when in Canberra is not subject to FBT.
However, if the car is garaged at your residence when you are In Canberra (according to the
Tax Office it does not matter whether the residence is owned by you, rented or even a hotel,
or that you own more than one residence), there is an FBT liability. However, Members and
Senators who make use of Comcar (rather than a leased car) while on parliamentary
business in Canberra are not liable for FBT for travel (this is because Comcar is not available
for exclusive use and more importantly, not garaged at the place of residence). FBT is
payable by the department and this cost is not passed on to you. You are only possibly
affected by the reporting of an FBT amount on your payment summary.
There are three options with regard to the provision of motor vehicle transport while on
parliamentary business in Canberra. These are as follows:
1. use Comcar and a leased vehicle not garaged at home. You would use the leased vehicle
or Comcar for most of your travel while in Canberra and only Comcar for travel to and
from your Canberra residence. The department would maintain the leased vehicle and
this would be used by you or other designated persons. This would maintain the
provision of a motor vehicle to be used by your office but no FBT liability would be
incurred. This would also reduce expenses to the department and reduce notional
salary on your payment summary. However, if the leased vehicle is garaged at your
Canberra place of residence overnight, there will still be an FBT liability (if the car is only
garaged at your residence on an irregular basis, this would reduce the FBT liability),
2. use Comcar exclusively. This would not give you the flexibility of using a car for official
business. However, there would be no FBT liability, or
3. use a vehicle provided by the department for travel in Canberra including to and from
your residence overnight. This would incur an FBT liability.
Travelling allowance is payable to the Speaker for each overnight stay in a place other than
home base in accordance with Part 2 of Remuneration Tribunal Determination Number 16 of
2011. Under paragraph 3.8(b) travelling allowance is payable when the stay is occasioned
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Speaker's briefl 2011
primarily by official business as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The
determination does not define official business. However, Members and Senators are
restricted in the receipt of benefits in relation to party business, for travel and postage
purposes.
The Presiding Officers enjoy the same basic entitlements as all other Parliamentarians in
respect of family members-—for example in respect of travel to and from Canberra and the
issue of photographic passes.
There are additional overseas travel entitlements for Presiding Officers, subject to
consultation with the Prime Minister. Since 1996, the Presiding Officers have determined
their own overseas travel arrangements to a maximum of five overseas visits, accompanied
at official expense by a spouse and staff member, in each financial year. The Prime
Minister's concurrence with each visit is necessary under the Parliamentary Entitlements Act
1991 but the practical effect has been that the Presiding Officers themselves determine their
overseas travel arrangements, whether leading official parliamentary delegations or making
individual bilateral visits, within the limit of five visits each financial year. The Presiding
Officers may delegate one or more of these five visits to their deputies to represent them.
Presiding Officers' spouses have an unlimited entitlement to accompany the Presiding
Officers on official business within Australia.
The Speaker, individually as well as with the President of the Senate on certain occasions,
traditionally hosts a range of functions in an official capacity. These include, for example:
• dinners or receptions for official incoming parliamentary delegations
® functions for particular groups such as the Association of Former Members,
parliamentary interns and Inter-Parliamentary Study Program participants etc
• Christmas functions for Members of the House
• dinners or receptions involving Members from both sides and external guests (e.g.
members of the Diplomatic Corps).
Guidelines have been prepared in relation to the services provided to the Speaker by the
department. These cover a range of services including official hospitality and are based on
similar guidelines issued by the government of the day for its Ministry. The guidelines are
attached for your information (Attachment 6).
16
Speaker's brief! 2011i
X
3 Chamber and Main Committee: Adhwee and supportIn support of your role as Presiding Officer in the House of Representatives Chamber, the
Clerk, Deputy Clerk and other members of the Executive, the Table Office, the Chamber
Research Office and the Serjeant-at-Arms Office provide procedural advice and a range of
chamber support, legislative and research services.
In the Chamber the primary source of procedural advice is the Clerk at the Table. During
Question Time this will be Mr Wright. Other officers (including Mr Elder, Ms McClelland,
Ms Surtees and Ms Towner) are rostered for duty as the Clerk in the Chamber at other times
on sitting days. The Clerk on duty is available should you have any questions about the item
of business currently before the House, other items on the Program, or the application of
specific Standing Orders. The Clerk on duty will also draw your attention to new matters as
they arise. A button on the Speaker's chair alerts the Clerk that you wish to speak to
him/her. You can also communicate with the Clerk by computer, and the Clerk can provide
advice to the Speaker by computer (see also p. 23).
In addition, Executive and senior officers are rostered for duty as deputy clerks in the
Chamber. During the sitting the Deputy Clerk at the Table will update your chamber papers
and procedures and note any changes in the proposed sequence of business.
Before each sitting, the Clerk and Deputy Clerk brief you and the Deputy Speaker (and, from
the start of this Parliament, the Second Deputy Speaker) on the day's program and any other
matters of relevance. This is an opportunity for you to ask about House and Main
Committee practice and to explore options for handling expected events.
In addition the Clerks are available at any time to discuss other matters that may be of
concern to you, or to provide detailed written advice.
A primary duty of the Speaker is to ensure that the rules of parliamentary procedure—as
embodied in the Standing Orders and practice—are interpreted and applied accurately. The
current print of the Standing Orders is as at 20 October 2010, and reflects the significant
changes in the 43rd Parliament arising, in part, from the Agreement for a Better Parliament
(Attachment 7). The current Standing Orders are always available online:
The Standing Committee on Procedure has an ongoing reference to "monitor and report on
procedural changes implemented in the House of Representatives in the 43rd Parliament",
and to date has released two interim reports under that reference: the first covering the
changes, generally, and the second focusing on the referral of bills to committees.
17
Speaker's brief \ 2011
It should be noted that the obligation on Members to abide by the Standing Orders and
rulings of the Chair may in future be complemented (subject to approval by the House) by a
code of conduct for Members. On 23 November 2011 the Standing Committee of Privileges
and Members' Interests released a discussion paper containing a draft code of conduct, and
discussion of whether there should be a code, and if so what the nature of any complaint
procedure could be, and a possible role for the proposed Parliamentary Integrity
Commissioner. The Committee's inquiry followed commitments made in the Agreement for
a Better Parliament (Attachment 7). It is now a matter for the House as to whether a code
will be implemented.
At the commencement of the Parliament the Speaker nominates a panel of not less than
four Members to assist the Chair. Members are nominated by the Speaker tabling a warrant
in the House. The Table Office prepares this warrant.
In previous Parliaments it has been the practice for the Speaker to appoint both opposition
and government Members, with government Members being in the majority. However, in
this Parliament the opposition has not to date nominated any Members to serve on the
panel. As requested, a draft letter asking for Opposition Members to be nominated has
been prepared for your consideration.
The names of Speaker's Panel members are listed at the back of the Notice Paper just before
details of committee memberships and current inquiries. The current members are:
• Mr Adams
• Ms Bird
® Mrs D'Ath
• MrGeorganas
• Ms Livermore
• Mr Murphy
• MrSidebottom
• Mr Kelvin Thomson
• MsVamvakinou
As you know, the Deputy Speaker's office organises a roster for Chair duty in the Chamber
and Main Committee, in consultation with your office, and coordinates day-to-day
management of the roster to address unforeseen absences.
Under the Constitution, the Speaker cannot vote in a division in the House unless the
numbers are equal, and then he or she has a casting vote. The provision for a casting vote
also applies to Members deputing for or acting in the position of Speaker, that is, Deputy
Speaker or Second Deputy Speaker or another Member as Acting Speaker. The provision for
a casting vote does not apply to members of the Speaker's Panel in the Chair, unless
1 8 1 • • ; : • . <
Speaker's brief U011
specifically appointed by resolution of the House as Acting Speaker. It has been considered
that the Standing Orders providing for the nomination and duties of the members of the
Speaker's Panel do not fulfill the requirements of s. 36 of the Constitution, which refers to
the House choosing a Member to perform the duties of an absent Speaker. As Deputy
Speaker, you were provided with a separate, more detailed note on the Speaker's casting
vote. A further copy of this note can be provided to you.
Chamber practiceThe Table Office provides procedural scripts ('procedures') for use in the Chamber, by the
Speaker, Ministers and relevant Members, indicating the procedural steps to be followed for
a particular item of business and highlighting, in red, specific text for you as Speaker.
Whenever possible the Clerk and Deputy Clerk will review and discuss with you any complex
or sensitive procedures at each day's pre-sitting Speaker's briefing. The Clerks on duty in the
Chamber and the Main Committee also have backup sets of procedure proformas in case
unexpected items of business arise.
19
Speaker's brief j 2011
In addition, the Table Office also prepares Speaker's Procedural Notes for use by the
Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the Second Deputy Speaker and members of the Speaker's
Panel. The notes provide additional information and practice tips for use by occupants of
the Chair in the Chamber and the Main Committee.
A DVD of procedural extracts is also available. It illustrates procedures for certain items of
business.
The routine of business provides for discussion of a matter of public importance (MPI) on
every sitting day, except Mondays, after the first day of meeting of a Parliament. The
Speaker determines whether a matter of public importance is in order. A matter is proposed
by letter-—it must be received by 12 noon—and, if in order, the Clerk recommends it for
your approval. A proposed matter determined to be in order and granted priority appears
on the Daily Program on Tuesdays. A separate notification of the proposed matter is
distributed in the Chamber on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The Speaker sometimes asks Members to amend the wording of a proposed matter in order
to make it accord with the Standing Orders. In the event of more than one matter being
proposed for discussion on the same day, the Speaker gives priority to the matter which, in
his or her opinion, is the most urgent and important. The Speaker cannot be required to
give reasons for choosing one matter ahead of another. One aspect of the Agreement for a
Better Parliament is that a proportionate share of MPIs should be allocated to all
non-government Members.
The Table Office liaises closely with your office about distinguished visitors expected to be
present in the Chamber or Main Committee galleries on sitting days and prepares a
procedure for you, or the Deputy Speaker in the Main Committee, to announce the visitors
(including, where necessary, phonetic pronunciation).
Because there may be some sensitivity about announcements (and often little advance
warning about such visitors) liaison is maintained as necessary between your office, the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Prime Minister's office and the Table Office
about procedures for distinguished visitors.
It is your decision as to which gallery the distinguished visitors will be invited to sit in; the
choices are: the distinguished visitors gallery on the floor of the Chamber (a raised platform
was installed in February 2010); the special visitors gallery in the front row of the first floor
central gallery (excluding the four seats adjacent to the central aisle on the government side
which are reserved for Senators); and the Speaker's gallery in the second and third rows of
the first floor central gallery. Guidelines have been developed by the Speaker's Senior
Adviser in relation to seating protocols in these galleries. The Serjeant-at-Arms can also
provide advice in relation to these matters.
20 1 </;, .
Speaker's brieff 2011
On average approximately 200 bills are introduced into the Parliament each year, with
typically over 90% being initiated in the House. In 2011, 238 bills were presented to the
House, including 15 received from the Senate. Table Office staff manage the processing of
bills and related documents as well as the incorporation of any changes to the bill text
arising from consideration/amendment by the House (and the Senate). Copies of all bills,
explanatory memoranda and amendments are loaded to the internet, and the status of bills
in the legislative process is updated and published on the homepage of the bills on the
internet.
The Table Office also prepares documents—messages—transmitting legislation and
resolutions passed by the House to the Senate. Both Houses communicate formally with
each other via formal hardcopy messages.
When a bill is to be forwarded to the Senate for consideration, the Table Office will prepare
a message folder for the Speaker's signature, together with a copy of the bill which will be
signed/certified by the Clerk. Other messages to the Senate will be prepared for your
consideration from time to time (e.g. advising the Senate of a change in committee
membership, or of a resolution of the House). The Serjeant-at-Arms' Office will arrange for
the Clerk to certify the bill (where applicable) and liaise with your office to arrange for a
Serjeant to bring these message folders to you for immediate consideration and signature.
When a bill has been passed by both Houses and agreed to in the same form, it is printed,
incorporating any agreed amendments, checked by the Table Office and certified by the
Clerk. The Table Office prepares for your consideration and signature a letter of transmittal
to accompany the certified bill to the Governor-General for assent. The Attorney-General
also provides a certificate to the Governor-General.
The Table Office also supports the Selection Committee (see p. 6), which in this Parliament,
among other things, programs debate on private Members' bills.
The Clerk's office and Executive, supported by a drafter on secondment from the Office of
Parliamentary Counsel (OPC), are the main providers of assistance to all Members for the
drafting of private Members' bills and motions, second reading amendments and detailed
amendments.
Members and other building occupants may request tabled documents through the Inquiry
Counter of the Table Office ( ex t . f lBBBBBBBBBE; or by using an on-line ordering
system. In the 42nd Parliament, a tabled papers register was developed through Parllnfo
Search, to facilitate access to all documents presented to the Parliament. A separate brief
on Budget Day arrangements will be forwarded to you during the autumn 2012 sittings.
Other government documents can be obtained through the Government Publications
Speaker's brief I 2011
Scheme which is a statutory entitlement, and all Members have been informed of the
arrangements applying. However, as no Members have used the scheme in recent years,
the department would support its abolition.
House of Representatives Practice is the official authority for issues of procedure and
practice. A new version of House of Representatives Practice is currently in preparation. It
will be published in 2012 and will incorporate procedural changes made since the start of
the 43rd Parliament. An electronic version with enhanced search capability was made
available to all Members and their staff in the 42nd Parliament.
The department also prepares and maintains a number of other procedural publications,
including:
• Guide to Procedures—a concise introduction to the procedures of the House
• House of Representatives I nfosheets—there are 21 in the series, available as hard
copy A4 pamphlets and on the website. They are widely used by Members
• Members' Guides—there are five In the series, available to Members through the
Senators' and Members' Services Portal
® Standing Orders—the current print of the Standing Orders is as at 20 October 2010
• Work of the Session—a summary of the business of the House and its committees,
published twice each year (Autumn and Winter Sittings and Spring Sittings)
• Procedural Extracts and the Procedural Digest—respectively a chronological and a
subject-based record of items of procedural interest
• Statistical Digest—statistics on legislation, questions, petitions and various other
items of business, and the amount of time spent on these items.
The Main Committee has met in Committee Room 2R3 since its inception in 1994. The
department sought funding in the 2006-07 Budget Process to construct a new Second
Chamber on the eastern side of the building, on the second floor, adjacent to the Chamber,
and plans have been developed for a permanent location for the Second Chamber. This
proposal followed recommendations about the relocation of the Second Chamber in a
report by the Standing Committee on Procedure in July 2000, and the establishment of a
working group chaired by the Deputy Speaker to consider possible options for relocation.
The funding request was not agreed to.
However, there are high volumes of bookings for committee rooms, of both Houses,
particularly in sitting weeks and increasingly demand for bookings cannot be satisfied. Such
pressure has increased, given the increased activities of the 43rd Parliament in relation to the
role of House committees in pre-legislative scrutiny of bills. It might be appropriate to again
raise the possibility that a new Second Chamber be constructed, which would release
22 [
Speaker's brief! 2011
Committee Room 2R3, the largest House committee room, for its original primary purpose
as a meeting room for House committees.
There is a 'Right of Reply' procedure under which applications for the publication of a reply
to comments made in the House are forwarded to the Speaker and, in essence, unless the
Speaker thinks they are frivolous or vexatious they are forwarded to the Committee of
Privileges and Members' Interests. No applications are outstanding at present.
Parliamentary computer network users and internet users are able to follow House
proceedings on-line using the Live Minutes on the House website or the internal Votes
Officer's Minutes (VOM) system. The minutes provide a proof record of business dealt with
and decisions taken and include details of speakers, the timing of all actions (e.g. when a
Member commenced his or her speech and the time documents were presented), who has
asked questions in Question Time and so on. The record is updated continuously
throughout the day and information is refreshed every 15 seconds. The VOM has proven to
be a very useful mechanism to keep abreast of House progress on the program.
As you know, Members may use laptop computers in the Chamber, and mobile phones for
text messaging. They are prohibited from speaking on mobile phones in the Chamber. The
principle is that equipment is permitted provided its use is not disruptive or a major
distraction to proceedings of the House.
Two computer screens and a PC are provided in the Chamber for the occupant of the Chair.
Similarly screens and PCs are provided for the Clerks at the Table. These PCs provide access
to the internet, generic email, the TV broadcast, an online version of House of
Representatives Practice, the Chamber seating plan and list of Members. There is also a
communication facility called "Chamber Chat" that enables one-to-one communication
between the Chair and the Clerk. It has been used particularly during Question Time to
enable the Clerk to respond to requests and offer advice without having to approach the
Chair. The department is ready to discuss future use of this or other services that may be
useful for the Chair.
As you know a laptop is provided in the Main Committee for the Chair.
-. ;. - -:>-< \-'\'r^vj ;,.>>< r > v r > v i ; ^;i:}*v:-hh*u $ytf:{ ?<f?
Dedicated captioning television channels are available for the Chamber, Main Committee,
and Senate Chamber. The procedural captions are fully integrated with broadcasting
information, e.g., on the name and electorate of the Member speaking, and have the
flexibility to provide further information. The captions are also made available through the
2 3 I :-' l-\-,<
Speaker's brief! 2011
webcast. The captioning system for the House is maintained by the Table Office.
Consideration is being given to having the captions only available. It would then be possible
to have these screened into the Chamber and the Main Committee for the information of
Members and visitors.
The Table Office provides secretariat support for the Chamber and Main Committee,
including procedural and programming advice and support, the preparation of the Notice
Paper, the Daily Program and the official record of proceedings of the House—the Votes and
Proceedings—all action in relation to bills after their introduction to the House, and the
provision of a document supply service (tabled papers and legislation) for Members and
other building occupants. In addition the Table Office provides secretariat support for the
Selection Committee (see further detail at p. 6), the House Publications Committee and that
committee when it meets jointly with the Senate Publications Committee.
All House documents published by the Table Office are available electronically to users and
are loaded to the internet. Members wishing to place questions on notice, or give notices of
motion do so either via the Clerks on duty at the Table or through the Table Office in RG 89.
Electronic proformas for questions on notice and notices of motion are available to
Members through the Senators' and Members' Services Portal.
The Chamber Research Office (CRO) is responsible for:
• parliamentary procedural research and development of procedure and practice
• maintenance of House of Representatives Practice and custody of the Standing
Orders
• publication of other material relating to the procedures and practices of the House,
e.g., Guide to Procedures, Infosheets and Members' Guides
• provision of information on procedural and parliamentary matters, including
publication, in the Statistical Digest and Work of the Session, of statistics of
proceedings
• provision of secretariat and research support for the Standing Committee on
Procedure
• provision of secretariat and research support for the Standing Committee on
Petitions.
The CRO maintains a number of procedural and statistical databases. These enable accurate
information to be readily provided to the Speaker. The databases include:
• the Procedural Records System (PRS)—which records items of procedural interest
such as Speakers' rulings, interpretations of the Standing Orders and chamber
24 I l>
Speaker's brief) 2011I
practice from 1982 onwards. In some cases, all rulings are recorded (e.g.
unparliamentary language) and in others, only new or slightly different insights into
practice and procedure are recorded. The PRS can be searched by standing order
number, by the name of the Speaker (or Deputy Speaker) or by subject. New entries
in the PRS are printed out and distributed to the Speaker and other occupants of the
Chair following each sitting period in Procedural Extracts. The items are presented
chronologically. A secondary publication which presents the material in a more user
friendly, subject organised format—The Procedural Digest— is also produced and
circulated to the Speaker and other occupants of the Chair, and is also published
online.
statistical records of the sittings and proceedings in the Chamber—which are
updated daily on sitting days. The answer to any Chamber or sitting-related
question beginning with 'How many' or 'How long' can probably be quickly
answered by reference to the statistics records. The statistics generally relate to the
passage of bills and Chamber procedures. The database is non-political so generally
party political statistics are not kept (unless they are of procedural interest—such as
the number of government Members expelled from the Chamber). Generally,
statistics are not kept on individual Members.
The Serjeant-at-Arms, or the Deputy or an Assistant Serjeant, is on duty in the Chamber at all
times the House is sitting. The Serjeant-at-Arms' Office maintains a duty roster of Serjeants
in-the-Chamber, in a similar way to the Deputy Clerk's duty roster of clerks and deputy clerks
at-the-Table. In addition to the ceremonial role of the Serjeant-at-Arms in leading the
Speaker's procession at the commencement and conclusion of proceedings at each sitting,
the Serjeant has duties to receive and deal with Senate messages from the Usher of the
Black Rod, and to ensure the integrity of the Chamber environment. This latter aspect of the
duties extends to maintaining appropriate security, including in the lobbies and galleries on
the first and second floors, media access and visitor access and utilities or infrastructure-
such as air-conditioning, lighting, broadcasting etc. The Serjeant-in-the-Chamber is expected
to always keep one eye on the Speaker, or Chair, in case she or he wishes the Serjeant to
address some matter arising in the Chamber during proceedings.
In addition, the team of Chamber attendants are staff of the Serjeant-at-Arms' Office. There
are at least five or six attendants on duty in the Chamber, and its precincts, at all times the
House is sitting, with an expanded team on duty during Question Time, or other special
proceedings such as Budget night. The team of Chamber attendants, including the
parliamentary assistants, assists with the running of the House by distributing Chamber
documents, opening and locking doors variously for divisions and quorum calls, taking
messages, lecterns and water to Members, taking Member's speaking notes to the Hansard
reporters and performing general housekeeping duties.
25
Speaker's brief i 2011
A major project has commenced to redevelop (for both the House and the Senate) the
Document Production System, which is the software application supporting the preparation
and publication of all Chamber business documents. The primary objective of the project is
to deliver a system which efficiently creates, manages and publishes Chamber documents
both in electronic and hard copy forms.
The project is being funded jointly by the two Chamber departments, with an officer from
this department serving on the project team together with officers from the Department of
the Senate and the Department of Parliamentary Services. Tenders to undertake the project
have been sought, received and evaluated, and it is expected that a contract will be entered
into in December.
During the 42nd Parliament, the Standing Committee on Petitions recommended in a report
Electronic petitioning to the House of Representatives that the House introduce electronic
petitioning. A submission was provided to the Speaker with a proposed response by the
Speaker to the report for presentation to the House. In the response, it was stated that the
adoption of electronic petitioning was a matter for the House to determine, and that a
response from the Leader of the House to the report would be envisaged. A copy of the
proposed response was sent to the Leader of the House on 19 February 2010. No response
from the Leader of the House has yet been received. It is proposed to follow up again on
this matter in early 2012.
The department, in co-operation with the Department of the Senate, is developing an
electronic repository for the Parliamentary Papers Series, following a recommendation to
that effect by the Joint Committee on Publications in June 2010 and subsequent approval by
the Presiding Officers in November of that year. The repository will enable users to access
parliamentary papers electronically, expanding on the details about parliamentary papers
already available through the Tabled Papers Register on the Parliament's website.
Introduction of the electronic repository is dependent upon implementation of the new
parliamentary website (refer p. 54).
The parliamentary departments will keep the Presiding Officers informed as work
progresses.
The department is working with the South Australian House of Assembly to redevelop the
department's Procedural Records System, with a view to sharing the solution with the House
of Assembly. The project is planned to be finalised in the 43rd Parliament.
26
Speaker's brief j 2011
During the 42nd Parliament, a number of major projects relating to the business and records
of the House were finalised, including redevelopment of the bills system, redevelopment of
the Parllnfo system, and upgrade of the basement archive to protect the official records of
the House of Representatives. The first two projects were undertaken by the three
parliamentary departments. Departmental staff worked with the Department of
Parliamentary Services on the basement archive project. Finally, a project to update the
department's news and features website, House News, to include streaming video and audio
content, was also completed during the 42nd Parliament. The news material will be core
content for the redeveloped parliamentary website to be launched soon.
27
Speaker's brief j 2011
4 Administration of the Department of the House ofRepresentatives
The Speaker has responsibilities to the Parliament in relation to the department, for
example in tabling its annual report. The Clerk of the House, who is responsible for
managing the department, reports to you. Key elements of the department's corporate
governance framework are outlined below.
The department's operations are governed by the Parliamentary Service Act 1999 and the
Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act), and are subject to the
provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009 and other legislation. Those Acts set out the
responsibilities of the Clerk for the management of the department.
The Parliamentary Service Act provides the framework for the employment of the staff of
the Department of the House of Representatives and the other parliamentary departments.
The objectives of this Act are to:
• establish a non-partisan parliamentary service that is efficient and effective in
serving the Parliament
• provide a legal framework for the effective and fair employment, management and
leadership of parliamentary service employees
• define the powers and responsibilities of secretaries, the Parliamentary Service
Commissioner and the Parliamentary Service Merit Protection Commissioner (see
p. 11)
• establish the rights and obligations of parliamentary service employees.
The legal framework provided by the Act for the employment of parliamentary service
employees follows that established by the Public Service Act 1999 for public service
employees, except where differences are necessary to reflect the unique character of the
parliamentary service and the obligation of parliamentary staff to serve the Parliament. The
Parliamentary Service Act sets out the values specific to the parliamentary service.
Under the Act the secretary of a parliamentary department, including a Clerk of a House,
may engage employees for the purposes of his or her department. Under the Act, the
Speaker does not have a role in the employment process.
The Public Service Act has been reviewed in line with the recommendations of the report
Ahead of the game: Blueprint for the reform of Australian Government administration.
29 | !'
Speaker's brief j 2011
On 4 November 2011 the heads of the parliamentary departments advised the Presiding
Officers that the parliamentary departments have been examining the changes that will be
required to our Act so that it will continue to be aligned with the Public Service Act.
The principal changes are:
(a) a shorter set of Parliamentary Service Values, complemented by anoverarching statement about the Parliamentary Service and a set ofemployment principles;
(b) a revised statement about the role and function of the SES;
(c) refinements to the Code of Conduct and related provisions;
(d) a requirement for secretaries to establish procedures for makingwhistleblower reports and for dealing with them;
(e) simplification of the provisions for temporary employment (currentlyreferred to as non-ongoing employment); and
(f) other technical and miscellaneous changes.
When the work is complete a further submission will be made to seek policy approval for thechanges to our Act.
Senior management of the department consists of the Executive and managers at the
Executive Band 2 level. The Executive comprises the Clerk, the Deputy Clerk and three
Senior Executive Service (SES) Band 1 staff (Clerk Assistant (Committees), Clerk Assistant
(Table) and Serjeant-at-Arms) each of whom has management responsibility for a group of
offices of the department.
The Executive meets regularly to discuss and decide on departmental management matters.
In addition, biannual meetings are held with departmental managers to review
achievements and examine future strategic directions. The biannual meetings incorporate
comprehensive written reports on the implementation of the annual business plan and
performance against external and internal performance indicators. The department's
organisation chart is on the next page.
The department's Consultative Committee is an important mechanism for communicating
and consulting with staff on workplace issues. The Committee is chaired by the Deputy Clerk
and comprises management, union and staff representatives. In the last year the
Committee discussed a wide range of issues, including monitoring of the employee
Enterprise Agreement, the department's recruitment practices, results of the annual staff
survey, travel policy, attendance guidelines, an external review of Committee Office staffing,
30 1 ; ;.. •
Speaker's brief j 2011
car parking and disability access at Parliament House, and the redevelopment of the
Parliament's website.
The department has a corporate plan for 2010-13. The corporate plan was developed during
2010 and involved departmental staff undertaking a workshop to form the direction of the
plan. A copy of the revised corporate plan for 2010-13 is at Attachment 1.
The department develops an annual business plan which flows from the corporate plan, the
portfolio budget statements and the risk management plan. The business plan sets the
priorities for the year by translating the key issues from the corporate plan to the level of
the business units in the department.
The business plan is one of the documents reported on at the biannual reporting meetings.
The department's organisation chart
Clerk of the House
Bernard Wright
Clerk Assistant
liable)
Chifes&i Surtees
Table Office
Chamber Research
Office
Deputy Clerk
Qavtd Elder
Clerk Assistant(Committees)panne Towner
Committee Office
ifnternatonal and
Community Relations
Office
$erjeafic~at*Arm$
Robyn McGelfand
Serjeant-at-Arms'Office
Peop;e StrategiesOffice
Finance Office
" " I . "Information Systemsand Publishing Office
31
Speaker's brief I 2011
The departmental service charters for Members and for the community provide the basis for
the standards of service that Members and the public can expect from the department
(Attachments 2 and 3). A copy of the Members' services charter is included in the
Members' Handbook.
The department is accountable to the Speaker and Members of the House. The Clerk
reports to the Speaker. Members may put questions to the Speaker relating to any matter
of administration for which the Speaker is responsible. Additionally, the Committee on
Appropriations and Administration (see p. 6) has provided Members with a new opportunity
to scrutinise the financial position of the department and to consider new policy proposals
as part of the budget process.
The department's primary external accountability mechanisms are the portfolio budget
statements (PBS) and the annual report. The PBS is a Budget document. It includes a
covering letter from the Speaker to Members 'in recognition of my obligation for
accountability to the House, and through it, the public'. The PBS informs Members of the
proposed allocation of resources to the department and specifies performance targets and
measures to be met.
The annual report is prepared by the Clerk pursuant to section 65 of the Parliamentary
Service Act 1999 and given to the Speaker for presentation to the House. Pursuant to
guidelines approved on behalf of the Parliament by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts
and Audit, the department reports on performance against targets outlined in the PBS for
the year concerned, and presents the financial statements of the department. The
department's financial statements are audited by the Australian National Audit Office.
The department's operations are primarily administrative and generally are not subjected
directly to formal external scrutiny. The department may be subject to scrutiny by the
Australian National Audit Office and matters of departmental administration may be the
subject of complaint to the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
The department has a current staff strength of 181, consisting of 138 ongoing staff and 43
non-ongoing staff. Thirty-three of the non-ongoing staff are employed on a sessional basis,
mainly related to the sittings of the House.
It is very pleasing to report that staff of the department have responded professionally and
enthusiastically to the challenges of minority government. Their ability to adapt to the new
arrangements, for example in relation to the many references of bills to committees, has
been pleasing. Despite the pressures that staff have been under, morale has been
32 1 :-: *
Speaker's brief! 2011
maintained at a high level, reflecting their commitment to the institution. The department
conducts an anonymous annual leadership survey of its staff and the 2011 survey produced
very pleasing results. This matter is commented on in the Annual Report.
Staff of the department seek to serve the House, and its committees and members in a
professional manner, and regardless of party affiliation. The department takes seriously its
obligation to provide a safe, harmonious and productive work environment for staff. We
have a Discrimination, Bullying and Harassment Prevention Policy which support the
Parliamentary Service Code of Conduct and which upholds Parliamentary Service values and
integrity and good reputation of the Parliamentary Service. The Bullying and Harassment
Prevention Policy applies to all persons who have a relationship or dealing with members of
the departmental staff, and this includes members and their staff. This fact has been drawn
to the attention of members on a number of occasions, most recently in the November 2011
House Update.
The department is an accredited Investors in People employer. Accreditation was awarded
in July 2001 following a detailed program to develop the department's leadership,
communication, staff development, and planning and evaluation practices. Reaccreditation
occurs every three years. The department undertook a post recognition review in 2009. The
assessor was satisfied that the department continued to meet the requirements of the liP
Standard. Investors in People is an international standard (see figure on the next page) that
is not prescriptive, but provides the framework within which organisations can address key
management issues, such as planning, communication and training and development.
33
Speaker's brief j 2011
The Investors in People framework
i
2
<*&*%
Improving % \tmmummmt ' Pertormaoet
X5*^*61*"^
Learning OO
7 f
The direct effects of continuing the principles of the Investors in People standard may
include improved productivity, lower staff turnover, improved staff motivation and attitude,
improved customer service, more effective communication, better understanding of
corporate goals and improved corporate image.
The Fair Work Act 2009 and government policy require agencies to operate in a devolved
environment and work towards settling their own workplace agreements, based on
productivity gains.
The department has an enterprise agreement in place designed to produce employment
conditions which are attractive to current and future staff and which will enable current and
emerging requirements to be met. The making of agreements is seen as an effective means
of enabling the department to move forward and better serve the House and the
Parliament.
The Department of the House of Representatives Enterprise Agreement 2011-12 covers all
staff in the department, except SES.
The Agreement is comprehensive in that it replaces all existing references to staff conditions
of employment, including awards and agreements. The Agreement has a nominal expiry
date of 30 September 2012.
34
Speaker's brief j 2011
All SES staff are covered by individual determinations made under Section 24(1) of the
Parliamentary Service Act 1999, in keeping with the provisions applied to other staff under
the enterprise agreement. The department will naturally await details of government plans
in relation to this.
The department designed and implemented a graduate recruitment program that
commenced in 2004, and in 2008 the Department of the Senate joined the program. The
program involves three-month placements of people from the graduate programs of
Commonwealth government agencies.
The program has proved very successful in generating interest from individual graduates and
a range of agencies. Six graduates completed three-month placements from January to July
2011. Reports concluded that all placements had been very successful and achieved the
program's objectives.
The recruitment process is underway for the 2012 program.
Advice on the department's budget follows, ft should be noted that the information in this
section pre-dates the government's announcement, in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal
Outlook released on 29 November, of an additional one-off efficiency dividend of
2.5 per cent in 2012-13 to be applied to the majority of Commonwealth agencies. We will
advise you and the Appropriations and Administration Committee of the implications for the
department once known.
The department's budget is prepared in accordance with the government's financial
management framework that operates across the Commonwealth. There is a single
outcome specified for the department:
Advisory and administrative services support the House of Representatives to fulfill
its representative and legislative role.
The department has one program containing five components which contribute to the
achievement of the outcome.
1. Chamber and Main Committee - resources supporting the effective operation of the
Chamber and Main Committee of the House of Representatives.
2. Community awareness - resources supporting the provision of services to increase
community understanding of, and interaction with, the work of the House of
Representatives and the Commonwealth Parliament.
35
Speaker's brief [2011
3. Committee services - resources supporting the House of Representatives and some
joint committees in fulfilling their role in the parliamentary consideration of policy
and legislation and the scrutiny of government.
4. inter-parliamentary relations - provision of advice and support to facilitate the
conduct of the Parliament's international and regional affairs.
5. Members' services - provision of advice, services and support to Members in
Parliament House, payment of Members' salaries and allowances.
The department's level of activity and, consequently, its level of expenditure follows the
parliamentary cycle. Depending upon the timing of an election in relation to the
commencement of a financial year, the department can generate a significant surplus.
The year after the election is usually the year of highest activity and expenditure levels.
This creates pressure on the department's budget which may result in a deficit occurring
during the year. The following table provides details of the department's financial
position over the last three years.
Department's financial position, 2008 to 2011Year Financial result Status of parliamentary cycle
2008-092009-102010-11
Surplus of $0.149mSurplus of $1.8mSurplus of $0.6m
2 year of parliamentary cycle3rd year of parliamentary cycleElection year
There are emerging cost pressures in the current financial year and it is possible that the
department will report an operating loss in 2011-12. As part of the 2011-12 Budget
process, the department was successful in obtaining additional funding to support the
extra sitting hours of the Chamber and Main Committee and to support the new Joint
committee on the National Broadband Network.
Summary of additional funding
Funding for additional sitting hoursJoint Committee on the NationalBroadband NetworkTotal
2011-120.502
0.5161.018
2012-130.506
0.5211.028
2013-14
0.5250.525
2014-15
0.5290.529
A new enterprise agreement will be in place at the end of 2012 and the competitive
staffing environment will add pressure to salary costs. General supplier costs (travel,
external printing, advertising, stationery etc.) will increase at a rate higher than the
department's appropriation funding.
36
Speaker's brief 2011
MONTHLY REPORTfor October 2011
Appropriation: Departmental, IPR & ComcareSecretariat/Office: ALL SECRETARIATS
RevenuesRevenue From GovernmentOther RevenueCorporate income
Total Revenue
ExpensesSalaries and AllowancesStaff-Related ExpensesTravelOffice RequisitesCommunicationsOffice ServicesCatering and Incidental ExpensesCorporate Expenses
Total Expenses
Recoveries
Operating Surpius/fDeficit)
Depreciation
SurpIus/(Deficit) after Depreciation
Month to DateActual
$
1,866,88965,434
750
1,933,073
1,381,77046,72697,05454,442
9,60192,51674,39413,150
1,789,653
31,819
. 195*239
97,828
97,411
Actual$
7,295,318310,870
27,745
7,833,933
5,508,387127,137244,920223,07343,491
345,451214,974
46,644
6r?54,0?9
131,676
1,011,031
387,742
323*739
Year to DateBudget
$
7,295,318265,037
24,333
7,564,688
5,999,709236,267375,063336,578
95,360592,822267,897
35,550
. 7,939,248
85,333
-209,224
0
-289,224
Variance$
045,833
3,412
49,245
491,321109,130130,143113,50451,869
247,37152,923
-11,094
1,185,1671
46,343
1t260j?SS
387,742
893,013
NotesActual vs Budget
100%117%114%
! 101%
92%
54%
65%
66%
46%
58%
80%
131%
85%
154%
AnalysisPro rata
33%
39%
42%
34%
30%
27%
22%
22%
15%
19%
27%
54%
28%
5 1 %
Full Year Budget$
21,848,000795,11166,000
22,709*111
18,180,174478,800
1,134,6901,009,733
286,0801,792,966
803,69086,650
23,772,783
256,000
-807,072
0
-§07t672
37
Speaker's brief; 2011
2500000
2000000
1500000
I 1000000<
500000
-500000
Revenue and Expenses
1 Total Revenue
Operating Surplus
Month
38
Speaker's brief 2011
The department is funded for capital expenditure. This funding is available to the
department by way of an equity injection and is subject to the efficiency dividend.
Department's projected capital2011-12
Amount $1.4m
funding, 20112012-13
$1.315m
to 20152013-14
$1.328m
2014-15
$1.347m
The department's balance sheet as at 30 June 2011 remains strong with cash reserves
totaling $16.154m ( $2.237m of this relates to the IPR Special Account).
The department, along with the Department of the Senate, is commencing a furniture
replacement project (departmental offices and Members' staff offices), commencing in
2011-12. This project will be resourced from direct capital appropriations and from cash
reserves. The Appropriations and Administration Committee has been briefed on the
project and has noted that consultations with members would commence.
For the first time, the House has established an Appropriations and Administration
Committee to consider, among other matters, estimates of the funding required for the
operation of the department each year (see p. 6). At the most recent meeting on
23 November, the Committee endorsed proceeding with funding proposals for the
2012-13 budget round. The department's New Policy Proposals have been submitted to
you for signature.
A summary of the New Policy Proposals:
2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 Total
$'000 $'000 $'000 $'000 $'000 $'000
Legislative drafting for
PMB's 0 0.225 0 0 0 0.225
Committee Office staffing
incl support for JCPAA for
monitoring of PBO 0.310 0.428 0.111 0.114 0.118 1.081
Joint Committee on Cyber-
Safety 0.282 0.295 0 0 0 0.577
Totals 0392 (K948 0.111 0.114 0J18 1.883
39 I P a g e
Speaker's brief! 2011
The department's medium and long term viability must be addressed in terms of
sustainable on-going operations. The budget forecast for the years between 2011-12
and 2012-13 (highest level of activity in the parliamentary cycle) is extremely challenging
- with the likelihood of substantial deficits becoming a reality. The department has a
good record of achieving internal efficiencies over the past ten years (for example, the
staffing of committee secretariats is discussed at p. 57). In addition, during 2009-10 the
department discontinued the Members' printing service, reduced committee advertising
costs, decreased the number of delegations and official visits (thereby reducing
expenses), and finally substantially reduced travel expenditure in the committee
secretariats. However, given the disconnect between rising input costs and the
Department of Finance and Deregulation's funding model, it is now questionable
whether further efficiencies to the extent necessary can be achieved over the next ten
years without some sacrifice to quality in service delivery standards. The parliamentary
reform agenda has also placed pressure on the department's finances.
In the past the government has considered the Parliament as a whole (including DPS, the
Department of the Senate and the Department of the House of Representatives as one
portfolio) when considering funding for the Parliament. Going forward it now appears
that the three parliamentary departments are all facing the same tight funding situation.
The department has focused on tying any significant new service requirements (for
additional services to Members or a change to the current range of committee activities
for example) to funding bids submitted to government. The department will continue to
focus on internal efficiencies while ensuring that service standards are maintained.
KPMG has for many years provided internal audit services to the department. In July,
the department commenced a tendering process for the Internal audit Services
Contract. The department has engaged Oakton Services Pty Ltd as the internal audit
firm for the next three years. The department's Audit Committee meets quarterly and
pursuant to its charter, the Chair, Clerk Assistant (Table), provides an annual report on
the activities of the committee to the Clerk. Naturally a Speaker would be informed of
any particular problems. Committee members are the Clerk Assistant (Committees),
Clerk Assistant (Table), the Serjeant-at-Arms and an independent member, Ms Barbara
Davis. Representatives of the ANAO and internal audit team attending meetings as
observers.
The department's business and fraud risk assessments and control plans were updated
in 2011 with the assistance of KPMG.
40
Speaker's brief j 2011
:'r:^iy<<^vnhry ' ^ A c o ^ r d h ^ R i e n ac ross i hc P a i l i ^ i M e ^ i
While there are two constitutionally distinct Chambers that comprise the Parliament, and
three parliamentary departments to support them, there should be cooperation and
coordination between the departments. Cooperation and coordination is achieved in a
number of ways.
In the past, the Presiding Officers have met regularly (once a fortnight, and more frequently
if required) to discuss matters of common parliamentary concern.
In relation to many of the services provided jointly to Members and Senators you receive
advice from joint advisory committees including the Joint House Committee, the Joint
Library Committee and the Presiding Officers' Information Technology Advisory Group
(POITAG) (see notes at p. 9).
At the departmental level, the heads of the three departments meet, as necessary, with one
another and with the Parliamentary Service Commissioner. These meetings cover broader
strategic issues that are of significance to each of the parliamentary departments.
Following a review of the administration of the Parliament by a previous Parliamentary
Service Commissioner, Mr Andrew Podger (the Podger review) the major outcome was the
establishment in 2004 of an amalgamated joint service-provision department, the
Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS).
Since the establishment of DPS a number of issues have arisen in relation to effective
cooperation and coordination between the parliamentary departments, in particular the
extent to which the department is involved in DPS's planning and project management
approval processes.
Following a review in 2008 by the then Parliamentary Service Commissioner into the
implementation of the Podger Review, a working group from the three departments
undertook a study into the areas within the three departments' corporate functions which
would be suited to shared services arrangements.
At that time DPS approached the chamber departments seeking the agreement of one of
these departments to undertake the payroll function. This department agreed to the
proposal and since July 2010 has been successfully undertaking the payroll function for DPS.
Further areas of shared service may be agreed during the 43rd Parliament.
On 23 November 2011 the Parliamentary Service Amendment (Parliamentary Budget Officer)
Bill passed the Senate, having already passed the House. The Bill, once assented to, will
establish a Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) and the position of Parliamentary Budget
Speaker's brief; 2011
Officer to provide Members and Senators with independent and non-partisan analysis of the
budget cycle, fiscal policy and the financial implications of proposals. The Bill follows a
commitment in the Agreement for a Better Parliament (Attachment 7) and a subsequent
inquiry by a Joint Select Committee.
A working group of the three parliamentary departments is presently considering the
logistics of establishing the PBO. Mr Elder is the department's representative and convener
of the group.
There are now in place several senior executive forums which assist in the coordination of
parliamentary administration across the three departments. The Senior Management
Coordination Group (SMCG) has a role in coordinating corporate and related matters among
the departments. The department is represented by the Serjeant-at-Arms, and the SMCG
meets every other month. The Project Assessment Committee (PAC) has a role in improving
the project approval process by including the interests of the Chamber departments in
decisions to approve and prioritise major projects funded by the DPS. It was established to
address the previous lack of involvement of the Chamber departments in the project
approval process. The department is represented by the Serjeant-at-Arms, and the PAC
meets in accordance with the requirements of the capital works program cycle. The Security
Projects Program Board (SPPB) has a role in overseeing the security projects within the
parliamentary precincts and enables the Chamber departments to contribute to decisions to
approve and prioritise security projects. The department is represented by the Deputy
Serjeant-at-Arms, and the SPPB meets monthly.
42
Speaker's brief) 2011
5 International actiFities
The International and Community Relations Office (ICRO)1 will provide you with advice and
assistance in connection with:
• the planning and conduct of official incoming and outgoing delegations
• the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
• the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)
• the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF)
• any other aspect of the Parliament's international activities.
The Director of ICRO is Mr Andres Lomp ( e x t . | H | , By agreement, staff of ICRO are
employees of our department and staff of the Parliamentary Education Office (PEO) are
employees of the Senate. The basic administrative costs of the offices are shared between
the two departments.
There is an annual program of official incoming and outgoing parliamentary delegations.
The outgoing delegations program is developed by ICRO in close consultation with the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The incoming delegations program is
coordinated by ICRO based on requests for visits from other parliaments, usually conveyed
through diplomatic channels. There is a relationship between the two programs as they
both rely heavily on invitations and related reciprocal hosting arrangements.
The proposed 2012 outgoing delegations program was approved by the Presiding Officers in
October and has been forwarded to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Foreign Affairs
for their concurrence.
There are 150 positions for overseas travel available for official outgoing delegations over a
three year cycle. Normally there are slightly higher numbers allocated in years 1 and 2 with
a reduction in year 3 which is an election year. The Presiding Officers each have a separate
allocation for overseas travel which is five positions each per financial year.
Typically there are around 11 official outgoing parliamentary delegations each year. When
considering the outgoing program, the Presiding Officers also consider which delegations
would be appropriately led by a Presiding Officer. With regard to official incoming
delegations, there are typically around 12 each year and the Presiding Officers play a
1 The International and Community Relations Office is an amalgamation of the ParliamentaryRelations Office and the House of Representatives Liaison and Projects Office which operated in theprevious Parliament.
43 I I' ,'i ; i
Speaker's brief: 2011
significant role in the program through meeting with delegates, visits to both Chambers and
official functions, including from time to time meetings and functions outside of Canberra.
ICRO provides the secretariat for the Commonwealth of Australia Branch of the CPA, the
Australian Region of the CPA, and the Australian National Group of the SPU. It also supports
Australian participation at the APPF. In the past, the Speaker has taken primary
responsibility for the Parliament's participation in the APPF and the IPU, while the President
has taken responsibility for participation in the CPA.
IPUThe IPU aims to promote personal contacts among parliamentarians, it also aims to unite
them in common action to secure and maintain the full participation of their respective
states in the firm establishment and development of democratic institutions, and in the
advancement of international peace and cooperation, particularly by supporting the work of
the United Nations. Established in 1889, the IPU is an international organisation composed
of National Groups established in national legislatures. Currently 155 national Parliaments
are members of the IPU. Nine regional parliamentary assemblies are associate members.
The Australian National Group was established in 1956. You and the President are the Joint
Presidents, the Clerk of the Senate is the Honorary Secretary, and Mr Andrew Templeton of
ICRO is the Executive Officer
The Association of Secretaries-General of Parliaments (ASGP) is a consultative body
constituted under the IPU. Membership is open to those who provide parliamentary
support services in national parliaments. The Clerks of both Houses and the Secretary of the
Department of Parliamentary Services are members of ASGP.
Parliamentary groups are formed under the auspices of the Australian National Group of the
IPU. The aim of parliamentary groups is to foster and maintain friendship with, and
understanding of, particular countries through links with national legislatures. The groups
meet with members of visiting parliamentary delegations and other distinguished visitors of
relevance to the groups, as well as with diplomatic representatives in Australia of the
countries concerned. Members of the groups may also take the opportunity to meet with
their counterparts when travelling overseas. It is normal practice that you and the President
of the Senate are members of all groups. A total of 89 parliamentary groups have been
established in this Parliament.
Separate to the national groups, the Presiding Officers agreed in 2008 to the establishment
of an Australia-United Nations Parliamentary Group. This group is not formed under the
auspices of the IPU but rather as a parliamentary group for international organisations. Any
groups established under this category must be a recognised international organisation of
which either the Australian government or Australian Parliament is a participating member.
44 I »'.:;• ..
Speaker's brief! 2011
The CPA provides the means for regular communication between members of
Commonwealth Parliaments. It seeks to promote understanding and cooperation among
countries, and the study of and respect for parliamentary institutions. The Association
pursues these objectives through annual general conferences, regional conferences and
seminars, the interchange of delegations, and through publications such as monographs and
the Association's quarterly magazine The Parliamentarian.
You and the President are Joint Presidents of the Commonwealth of Australia CPA Branch,
the Clerk of the House is the Honorary Secretary, and Ms Fiona Way of ICRO is the Executive
Officer
ICRO also provides the Regional Secretariat for the Australian Region of the CPA. The
Regional Secretariat administers an Education Trust Fund that funds training and equipment
for Pacific Island Parliaments that are members of the CPA. Twinning arrangements have
also been established between Australian and Pacific Parliaments. CPA Australia, in
association with the UNDP and with funding from AusAID, also manages a Pacific
Parliamentary Partnerships program which provides development assistance to Pacific
Parliaments. The Director of ICRO, Mr Andres Lomp • H H H H H H I ^ the Regional
Secretary for the Australian Region of the CPA.
The APPF was established in Tokyo in 1993. Its objective is to promote greater regional
identification and cooperation among national parliamentarians in the Asia-Pacific region,
especially those from ASEAN, APEC group nations and the South Pacific Forum. The APPF
seeks to further the advancement of peace, freedom, democracy and prosperity. Australia
was a member of the Executive Committee (representing the Oceania Group) until mid
2011.
The APPF annual meeting takes place each year and is usually held in January. The
20th Annual Meeting of the APPF is scheduled to be held in Tokyo from 7-13 January 2012.
Approval for this delegation is usually sought in advance of the annual outgoing delegations
program. In recent years the Speaker has usually led the delegation to the APPF. Ms Saffin
MP is the leader of the delegation to the Tokyo meeting and Mr Forrest MP the deputy
leader.
There will be two IPU Assemblies in 2012. The 126th Assembly and Related Meetings will be
held in Kampala, Uganda from 31 March to 5 April and the 127th Assembly and Related
Meetings will be held in Quebec from 21-26 October. The Speaker has often led the
delegation to the IPU.
45 I •*> - < :
Speaker's brief \ 2011
The 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference will be held in Sri Lanka from 7-15
September 2012. The President has usually led the delegation to the Commonwealth
Parliamentary Conference (and would, as a Regional Representative, also attend the
mid-year Executive Committee meeting—due in April 2012).
An Australian and Pacific Regional Conference is due to be held in 2012. The regional
schedule of conferences and seminars is currently being reviewed by a regional working
group and the venue and date of any conference in 2012 will be advised after the working
group has concluded its review.
This is an annual meeting of the Presiding Officers and Clerks from Australia and the Pacific.
It is not a CPA activity and has been attended by both Presiding Officers on many occasions.
The President normally attends because there are a number of CPA related business
meetings held in conjunction with the conference. The Presiding Officers are also members
of the CPA regional management committee. The next conference is scheduled to be held in
the Solomon Islands in the third week of July 2012.
This is a biennial conference organised by a secretariat based in Canada and the meeting is
normally attended by the Speaker. The 21st Conference will be held in Port of Spain,
Trinidad from 7-12 January 2012.
There is an Executive Committee meeting held in the non-conference year, and Australia is
currently on the Executive Committee. By agreement of the Presiding Officers, the Speaker
is the Australian representative for 2010-2012.
In addition to official incoming delegations ICRO arranges programs for other parliamentary
visits. These are short non-hosted visits where, for instance, we arrange a one or two day
visit to the Parliament and perhaps one function. This differs from official visits which
generally are hosted by the Australian Parliament, last for up to six days and take in visits to
States and Territories. Regular progress reports are provided in this regard. There are up to
30 parliamentary visits per year and the degree of involvement by the Presiding Officers
depends on the nature of the visit.
To foster closer relations with regional neighbours, the department has signed
Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with the Parliaments of Cambodia, China,
Indonesia and Vietnam aimed at promoting exchanges (visits and information) between our
Parliaments. In June 2010 the Presiding Officers agreed to extend the MOU with China to be
an MOU with the whole of the Australian Parliament; the expanded MOU was signed during
a visit by a delegation from the National People's Congress in October this year. The
46
Speaker's brief! 2011
Presiding Officers agreed to extend the other MOUs to the whole of the Australian
Parliament when the opportunity next arises.
The department also helps coordinate study visits to the Parliament by officials from
overseas Parliaments. This includes an annual two-week Inter-Parliamentary Study Program
for senior parliamentary officials from around 15 countries as well as shorter training
placements. The next inter-Parliamentary Study Program is planned for 5-15 March 2012.
Usually the Presiding Officers host a function during the program.
ICRO will have a close working relationship with your office. Mr Lomp will be available to
brief you or your staff on any matters whenever convenient.
47
Speaker's brief! 2011
6 Members" entitlements and services
As you would be aware the Remuneration Tribunal's determinative jurisdiction was
extended to the determination of the base pay (annual allowance) of parliamentarians with
the assent of the Remuneration and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2011 (the ROLA Act).
The Remuneration Tribunal is currently finalising a review of parliamentarians' base pay.
The review was one of the recommendations of the Belcher Review of Parliamentary
Entitlements.
On 1 July 2011, the base rate of pay for Members increased to $140,910 per annum. The
additional salaries of Ministers and office-holders are also linked as a percentage of the basic
salary. For example, the additional percentage is 160% for the Prime Minister, 72.5% for
Cabinet Ministers, 75% for the Leader of the House and Speaker and 16% for the chairs of
larger committees. The current office-holder's allowance for the Speaker is $105,690 pa.
The department pays Members' salaries and the additional salaries for parliamentary office
holders. The chamber departments are also to assume responsibility for payment of
additional salaries for Ministers. It is anticipated that this will occur from the December pay.
An annual survey of Members is undertaken by the department in May-June each year. The
survey involves a sample of 30 randomly selected Members responding to questions about
the quality of the full range of services provided by the department.
In the most recent June 2011 survey Members were overwhelmingly satisfied with the
department's support in helping them fulfill their parliamentary duties. The overall result of
the survey was that 99 per cent expressed high levels of satisfaction with the department's
quality of service. See Attachment 4 for detailed survey findings.
A brief on the department's response to the survey's findings was provided to the former
Speaker earlier this year.
At least four times each year (typically in February, May, August and November) a bulletin
containing information for Members is published by the department. The bulletin, called
House Update, informs Members about administrative and procedural developments within
the House. It is published through the Clerk's office.
49
Speaker's brief I 2011
Each year the department arranges a series of briefings for Members, their staff and
parliamentary staff. The House Briefings are held at lunchtime on Tuesdays and focus on
items of likely procedural and administrative interest to Members, particularly new
Members. Previous briefings have featured topics such as opportunities for private
Members in the House and the budget process.
In the last Parliament, the idea of arranging guest presentations from prominent individuals
or visiting international guests was implemented. The one presentation that took place was
hosted by the Speaker and President as a 'Guest of Parliament' session to help inform
Members, Senators and their staff of issues that may be of broader interest to them. This
concept will be continued for suitable presentations.
The Parliament funds the Association of Former Members of the Parliament of Australia
(AFMPA) to a total amount of $8,000 per annum, contributed to equally by the department
and the Department of the Senate. The funding is to support the printing in-house and
distribution of AFMPA's quarterly newsletter, Federal Gallery, and of transport associated
with the annual receptions in Parliament House and Government House. The newsletter is
desktop published and printed by the department's in-house printing service, with covers
provided by the Department of the Senate. In addition to the specific financial contribution,
the parliamentary departments provide other support in recognition of the role AFMPA
plays in promoting the institution of Parliament.
Support services provided to AFMPA in Parliament House include an office, sitting room, and
telephone and internet access, in addition, AFMPA uses committee rooms, including for
their annual reunion in Budget week in May each year. At that time the Presiding Officers
host a function, usually a cocktail reception, for the members of AFMPA as well as current
Members and Senators. The organisation of this function alternates between the
department and the Department of the Senate. In 2012 the House of Representatives will
be organising the function.
At the beginning of the 43rd Parliament the party whips and the Serjeant-at-Arms made
recommendations to the Speaker about the allocation of rooms to new and returning
Members for decision. These recommendations were made following discussions with the
Serjeant-at-Arms' Office staff about the availability of particular rooms and the composition
of the new Parliament.
A similar procedure applies for the allocation of backbench seating in the Chamber. The
Leader of the House and the Manager of Opposition Business propose the seating order on
the front benches.
5 0 I \> i •" -
Speaker's brief j 2011i
*** > x i iv« * < U r^ <; a Pa r l i amen t House
A comprehensive review of accommodation in Parliament House was undertaken in 2007.
The review was triggered by pressures on accommodation in Parliament House, particularly
for parliamentary secretaries in the House of Representatives wing, and the recognition that
there would be a longer term requirement for additional accommodation and that
consideration should be given to possible options. The architectural firm GHD was engaged
by the three parliamentary departments to undertake the review. The review developed a
short, medium and longer term plan for accommodation at Parliament House. The review
and further information about it is available from the Serjeant-at-Arms, Robyn McClelland
The Transport Office, part of the Serjeant-at-Arms1 Office, is staffed only in sitting weeks.
Transport Office staff assist Members with Comcar arrangements at Canberra Airport on
Sunday afternoons in sitting weeks. The transport shuttle operates from outside the House
of Representatives entrance during sitting weeks. A service level agreement covering details
of the shuttle's administration has been signed by the department, the Department of the
Senate and the Department of Finance and Deregulation. It specifies the hours of operation
dependent on the hours of parliamentary sittings and prescribes that the cars are to be used
for parliamentary purposes—but there is no definition of a parliamentary purpose.
The Transport Office is managed by Barry Gwyther, Assistant Serjeant-at-Arms i
I B B ! / a nd sessional and other departmental staff provide a cost effective service. Outside
of sitting times Members can make their transport bookings directly with the Comcar
National Reservations Centre.
As Speaker, you still retain access to the transport shuttle. If the department provides you
with a leased motor vehicle, the transport shuttle can only be used for direct travel between
Parliament House, or your accommodation in Canberra, and Canberra airport. The shuttle
can also be used for special circumstances, such as attending vice regal, Parliamentary,
diplomatic or official functions (see Procedural Rule No 5 of 2005 - Car Transport in
Canberra).
Members are provided with two major daily newspapers of their choice per sitting day.
These newspapers are delivered to Members' suites by attendants each morning; however
the availability of interstate newspapers is dependent upon the timeliness of interstate
deliveries. A selection of the major daily newspapers is also provided for Members in the
lobbies of the Chamber. Your office can be provided with a selection of the major dailies all
year round if required.
51
Speaker's brief (2011
In May 1997, Speaker Halverson introduced a program to provide to Members Australian
flags which have hung at the entrance to the House of Representatives Chamber for
presentation to eligible community groups. Under the program each Member has an
entitlement to receive one flag per year. Two flags are available each sitting day. The
seniority of Members is applied to resolve the priority for the allocation of flags on a given
day if more than two Members have requested the flags. Each flag comes with a certificate
signed by you. The usual practice is to deliver the flag and certificate to a Member's suite on
the day after the sitting day on which the flag was flown.
The Serjeant-at-Arms' Office administers, on behalf of the Department of Finance and
Deregulation, the quarterly postage allowance authority for Members' use at Parliament
House. A quarterly allowance authority of $450 can be collected from the Serjeant-at-Arms'
Office on the first day of each quarter. It must be redeemed at the Parliament House Post
Office. From 2011-12, Members have had the option of rolling the postage allowance into
the printing and communications entitlement, and receive all of their entitlement directly
from the Department of Finance and Deregulation.
The Stores Office, part of the Serjeant-at-Arms' Office, is staffed on Thursdays in non-sitting
weeks, Fridays in weeks preceding a sitting week, and each day in sitting weeks from
8.30 am until approximately 6.00 pm. At other times staff from the Serjeant-at-Arms' Office
can assist Members with stores.
House of Representatives messengerial attendants perform duties within the House of
Representatives wing and support committee rooms administered by the department. They
are responsible for the delivery and collection of mail to and from Members' suites,
providing support services in the Chamber and committee rooms, supplying and moving
furniture and courier services.
Since the pilot program in 2001, the parliamentary assistant program has developed into a
very successful adjunct to the messengerial attendants service. Under the program high
calibre university students in their second year of studies are employed on a sessional basis
as attendant staff. With a focus on chamber duties, the program combines elements of
professional education, workplace experience and community outreach activities for
Canberra-based university students. A total of seven parliamentary assistants has been
selected for 2012; three students from the 2011 intake are participating in a second year
with the program together with four new students whom they are helping to train.
52
Speaker's brief! 2011
DPS is responsible for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure
and the support of Parliament-wide ICT systems and is also now responsible for electorate
office IT. This department, through the Information Systems and Publishing Office, works
cooperatively with DPS to ensure that ICT services to Members are satisfactory and also
provides support for House of Representatives applications and projects, it provides the
hardware and software in Members' offices and participates in parliamentary ICT strategic
planning initiatives.
As you know, the Presiding Officers have recently decided to conduct a review of ICT within
the Parliament. The review is to be conducted by Mr Michael Roche.
The standard allocation of IT equipment for Members in Parliament House is two desktop
workstations, a laptop workstation, one laser printer and smart label printers. Ministers and
Parliamentary Secretaries have the standard allocation and receive additional equipment
from the relevant executive department. The Leader of the Opposition and members of the
Shadow Ministry, together with Office Holders, have additional equipment allocated by the
department in accordance with the number of staff allocated for these roles.
The current software platform for Members, OneOffice, provides essential business
applications such as email, calendar, contacts (Outlook), internet access and the Microsoft
Office 2007 suite (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Publisher). There are also a wide range
of on-line parliamentary services such as parliamentary debates (Parllnfo), committee
transcripts, Notice Papers, Votes and Proceedings, Votes Officers Minutes, parliamentarians
address lists, on-line ordering system for tabled papers and AAP news. Many of these
services can be found through the Senators' and Members' Services Portal (SMSP).
These services can be accessed not only from Parliament House, but remotely via broadband
access from a laptop or through any internet enabled desktop computer. Remote access is
available for Members and authorised staff.
The Microsoft Vista operating system is currently installed on PCs in the parliamentary
departments. Preliminary discussions are underway to plan for upgrading the software on
PCs for Members in Parliament House and the Electorate Offices.
Members have access to desktop publishing facilities and services in the Whips' offices.
These services include colour printing and graphic scanning.
53
Speaker's brief! 2011
The Special Minister of State granted some extra software entitlements for electorate offices
during the 41st Parliament. These packages (Dragon Dictate for voice recognition and Adobe
Creative Suite for desktop and web publishing) are available only on request for Members'
use in Parliament House.
To enable Members to conduct their parliamentary and electorate business, they may have
access to a maximum of two electronic mailboxes for their internet email accounts. One
account will be a personal account (i.e. not publicised) and the other will be the office
account, and as such, may be available publicly.
The Australian Parliament House (APH) website (www^^iLEMJil) is controlled ultimately
by the Presiding Officers. It is managed co-operatively by the three parliamentary
departments. DPS provides the infrastructure for the internet site and has responsibility for
the general web management administration. The department is responsible for the
content on all the web pages for the House of Representatives and those pages relating to
inter-parliamentary relations.
The department's Information Systems and Publishing Office maintains home pages for
Members on the internet, which contain contact information, and photograph and
biographical information.
in February 2009, DPS commenced a project to upgrade the website. There have been
considerable improvements to web technology and functionality since the original site was
developed. Further, the hardware and software supporting the site have been ageing and
need replacement. A board oversees the project, which comprises representatives of the
Chamber departments and DPS. A new governance model is being discussed for the new
website.
The project initially had a two-year schedule. Due to the scale of the project, and the
requirement for further development of the template designs for a range of pages, the
project has been delayed; however, the launch of the new site is expected soon (late 2011 /
early 2012).
The Department of the House of Representatives has an in-house printing and scanning
service which provides high speed digital printing, copying and scanning facilities along with
some binding and finishing capabilities. The primary purpose of the in-house printing service
is to provide timely production of documents for the House of Representatives Chamber and
legislative documents. The in-house printing service manages the printing of committee
reports, including printing of some reports in-house or obtaining quotes for external
printing. They also print school certificates and first speech booklets for Members.
54
Speaker's brief j 2011
Staff from the department's print centre manage all aspects of the photocopier fleet. This is
the 'Valet Service'. A regular maintenance program (daily during sitting weeks) of all devices
has been implemented and contributed to negligible incidence of machine breakdown.
In addition to maintenance, the Valet Service provides training and support in use of the
devices such as copiers, scanners and printers, to all users, including Members and their
staff.
55
Speaker's brief! 2011
Committee services
The structure of committees currently administered by the department is at Attachment 5.
Nineteen investigatory committees are supported by nine secretariats (eight secretariats
supporting two committees and one supporting three committees). Linked secretariats
supporting two committees were introduced in 1996. An internal review in 2001 found the
system to be quite successful. This arrangement satisfied the requirements of the
committees but showed occasional signs of strain. Over time, the proportion of secretariats
serving two committees decreased and the proportion serving three committees grew.
In June 2010 the Standing Committee on Procedure released the report of its inquiry into
the effectiveness of the House committee system. Amongst other things, the Committee
recommended:
• an external review of staffing levels within the Committee Office;
• a reduction in the number of general purpose standing committees, and in the size
of their membership (but with greater provision for supplementary members); and
• a greater role for general purpose standing committees in scrutiny of legislation.
These recommendations were subsequently reflected in the Agreement for a Better
Parliament (Attachment 7) and the structure of the general purpose standing committees at
the start of the 43rd Parliament.
The proposed review of Committee Office staffing levels was conducted during 2010-11 by
HBA Consulting; the consultant's report, presented to the department in March this year,
made four recommendations:
• that the model where one secretariat supports two committees be the standard;
• that an additional work group be established to allow this model to be implemented
fully (an increase from eight to nine secretariat work groups);
® that in response to an increase in bill inquiries by House committees, additional
resources be provided initially to support this work in 2011-12, and the level of
resourcing then be reviewed; and
• that a specific budget allocation be established to allow committees to procure
external expert advice to support the committee inquiry process, when required and
requested.
57
Speaker's brief j 2011
The department supported these recommendations. Additional funding allocated to the
department for 2011-12 and the three following years to support the Joint Committee on
the National Broadband Network has allowed the first two recommendations to be largely
implemented (one work group still supports three committees, and short-term joint select
committees for specific inquiries have had to be supported by existing work groups).
Implementation of the final recommendation is dependent on supplementary funding for
the department in the next financial year.
Feedback from Members on the adequacy of committee support services is obtained
formally through the annual survey of Members referred to elsewhere in this brief and
informally through the Liaison Committee of Chairs and Deputy Chairs (see p. 59).
Flexible approaches are applied to meet the varying needs of different committees at
different times. For example, a temporary employment register is used to supplement
staffing on a short term needs basis, keeping within the overall budgetary framework across
the committee office. Secondees from external agencies are also used where appropriate.
During the 41st and 42nd Parliaments, the department implemented CommDocs, which is an
electronic distribution system for committee members to access committee documents (e.g.
meeting notices, agendas, briefs and other papers). It provides quick, consistent and
comprehensive access for each Member to information and documents of the committees
to which he or she belongs. KPMG, the department's then internal auditors, conducted a
security audit of CommDocs and found it provided equal or better security than other
methods of document distribution.
During the 42nd Parliament, the Department of the Senate developed the Senate Committee
Information Database (SCID). This allows stakeholders in committee inquiries to fill in their
contact details and upload their submissions over the internet. It also assists in the
compilation of submissions and transcripts of evidence when committees table reports.
During 2010-11 the departments began a trial to extend CommDocs to Senate-supported
committees and extend SCID to House-supported committees. One committee supported
by the department is trialling SCID for its inquiries, and further committees may be included
as circumstances permit. If the trial is successful, the systems may in future be able to be
integrated to avoid repetition of similar tasks involving submissions and other committee
documents.
5 8 1 >
Speaker's brief! 2011
- ->-'r;,;ir ;;* -; ^ .s^ -H;* / nf <ix***miter reports nm! j i n x ecctim^
During the 42nd Parliament, the Australian Human Rights Commission and disability groups
made requests to the department about better standards of access to committee reports on
the website. The most popular types of screen readers that vision impaired people use can
only read HTML (basic website presentation), not pdf documents.
Before the start of this year, committee reports were converted to HTML manually. This
work was labour intensive and resulted in delays in publishing the HTML version of a report,
which prompted the department to seek alternative methods. A software program obtained
from the Department of the Senate and modified to operate with our report template is
now used to convert reports into HTML. This has greatly increased the efficiency of the
process and the quality of the reports converted although a backlog of reports remains and
is being addressed.
As an additional measure, the department has purchased two small hearing loops for public
hearings. Members of the public with hearing aids can sit next to these devices and receive
the DPS Broadcasting feed.
As in recent Parliaments, at the start of the 43rd Parliament the Speaker re-established an
informal Liaison Committee of Chairs and Deputy Chairs of committees supported by the
department. The committee, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, provides a useful forum for
the exchange of ideas and information between Chairs and Deputy Chairs and for the airing
of issues that affect all committees supported by the department. The committee met twice
a year in the last Parliament, but in this Parliament is meeting more frequently (five times in
2010-11). Under the Agreement for a Better Parliament, the Liaison Committee has a role in
considering committees' powers.
59
Speaker's brief 2011
6 Community engagement
To encourage community understanding of and interaction with the work of the House of
Representatives, the department provides a range of community information programs and
services. Many of these are coordinated through the International and Community
Relations Office (SCRO)2 with the involvement of other departmental areas. The Director,
ICRO, is Mr Andres Lomp i
The About the House magazine is published up to four times a year (although the 2010
federal election meant that only one edition was produced during 2010-11). It includes
news and features on the work of the House, particularly its committees, as well as sections
devoted to legislation and issues Members are raising in the House. We estimate that
between 60,000 and 70,000 Australians read the free magazine. Results from the most
recent readers' survey show high levels of satisfaction with the content and style of the
magazine, as well as a strong preference for a printed copy of the magazine.
A 30 minute current affairs style television program, also called About the House, is
produced and features segments on the work of the House, particularly its committees. It is
broadcast on the Sky News channel on the first Friday of the month (2.30 pm) and is also
broadcast on Australia's Public Affairs Channel (A-PAC). Segments of the program are
available on the House's website.
In June 2010 the pilot of a second television program, called MPI (Matters of Public
Importance), was produced and broadcast on A-PAC. The program reviews the past sitting
fortnight in the House, including legislation presented, committee reports tabled,
international visits to the Parliament, and other events around the Parliament. After
favourable feedback on the pilot program from A-PAC, the program went into regular
production from the start of the 43rd Parliament. Replays of the program are available on
the House's website.
2 The international and Community Relations Office is an amalgamation of the House ofRepresentatives Liaison and Projects Office and the Parliamentary Relations Office which operated inthe previous Parliament.
6 1 i t * I " '
Speaker's brief? 2011
Up to date information on committee work is made available through a news and features
page at wwwj£h«£gv^u/at|i on the House's website. The webpage includes video news
items and replays of Question Time. RSS feeds are also available from the page, in addition
the media and the public can receive email alerts on the latest developments in relation to
committees, including announcements of new inquiries, upcoming public hearings and
report tablings. More than 3,200 individuals and organisations currently receive the email
alerts, including more than 1,000 media outlets.
In February 2011 an 'About the House' Twitter news feed was introduced to highlight
committee work and proceedings in the Chamber. By November 2011 the Twitter feed had
attracted more than 4000 followers. An About the House Facebook page has also been
introduced.
ICRO helps committees inform the media about their work. Media specialists employed in
the office assist committees distribute information on their inquiries to the media.
We conduct an annual seminar program that helps to explain the operations of the House.
The seminars are conducted on a fee paying basis and include general seminars on the
House as well as more detailed seminars on the legislative, committee and budgetary
processes of the House. Members are invited to be guest presenters at some of the
seminars. While most seminars are held in Canberra and are generally attended by public
servants, in recent years we have also conducted seminars in other centres. Full seminars
and smaller presentations are also arranged for organisations around Australia at their
request.
To boost contact between the Parliament and tertiary institutions, we coordinate a guest
lecture program at various universities throughout Australia. At the request of university
lecturers, the Speaker, the Clerk and others have visited universities to deliver lectures on
the realities of working in today's House of Representatives. The lectures have proved
extremely popular, with a range of universities participating in the program, including the
University of Western Sydney, the University of Queensland, Charles Darwin University,
Murdoch University and the University of Tasmania.
The program started in 1993 following a formal agreement between the Presiding Officers
and the Vice Chancellor of the Australian National University (ANU).
62
Speaker's brief I 2011
The aim was to establish a program for students enrolled in Australian and foreign
universities to undertake, as part of their studies, an internship in the Parliament doing
applied policy work under the direction of a Member of Parliament or parliamentary staff.
Students are enrolled at the ANU for the duration of their internship and obtain academic
credit for the research report they prepare during the course.
Two courses are run each year, with up to 45 students in each semester's course. More than
1,000 students have completed the program. Most of the students are placed with
Senators, or Members, or parliamentary committees, and some are also placed with the
Australian Public Service, the ACT Public Service, the ACT Legislative Assembly, NGOs, and
embassies.
The Program Director (Dr Neil Hamilton of the ANU) is responsible for the day-to-day
management and administration of the program and in particular for the selection of interns
and their matching with supervisors. A steering committee, comprising a Member, a
Senator, three parliamentary officers, the Program Director and representatives of the
Vice-Chancellor of the ANU, advise the Program Director on matters of policy. The
parliamentary members of the Steering Committee are Mr Ripoll MP and the Deputy
President Senator Parry; the department's representative is the Director of the Chamber
Research Office Ms Catherine Cornish. The steering committee has a formal role in
approving the 'matching' of the study interests of interns with parliamentary supervisors
(Members and Senators).
The ANU funds the program but some incidental expenditure is incurred by the
parliamentary departments. This department and the Department of the Senate jointly host
an orientation day for all participants (not just those hosted at Parliament House) at the
beginning of the semester, with presentations by senior departmental staff. The
Parliamentary Library also provides an orientation program.
In the lead up to each semester's intake of interns the Speaker and President jointly invite all
Members of Parliament to make an offer to the program to host an intern. It is also usual
for the Speaker and President to jointly host a reception for each intake of interns, with the
venue alternating (the Speaker's suite in second semester and the President's suite in first
semester).
In second semester 2011 the program had an intake of 26 students, 18 of whom were
placed at Parliament House.
Further information on the program is available at http://anip,anu,edu,au/.
63
Speaker's brief j 2011
Infosheets on the House of Representatives are produced by the Chamber Research Office
and are available in printed copy and online from the House of Representatives website. A
booklet on the Speaker is produced by the Chamber Research Office and gives an illustrated
history of the office of the Speaker and describes current roles and duties.
We also have produced a history pack on the first 100 years of the House of Representatives.
Called 'A House for the Nation', it includes a CD-ROM encyclopedia, a four episode
documentary and a study guide to assist teachers and lecturers. The history pack is sold to
the public.
An Open Day will be held at Parliament House in late 2013 (postponed from 2012, with the
Presiding Officers' approval, to coincide with both the centenary of Canberra and the
25th anniversary of the opening of Parliament House). The House of Representatives will
have the lead coordinating role for the organisation of the day. ICRO will coordinate the
House of Representatives displays.
An interdepartmental steering committee has been formed to report to the Presiding
Officers on possible activities to mark the 25th anniversary of the opening of Parliament
House; Ms McClelland is the department's representative.
Each House has resolved that there be appropriate celebration of the centenary of the
choice of the Griffin design for the national capital. The Presiding Officers have given in
principle approval for the National Capital Authority to use the Presiding Officers' Exhibition
Area from 9 May to 30 June 2012 for an exhibition to celebrate the centenary of the national
capital design competition.
Visitors to the building can observe proceedings of the House during sittings from the first
floor galleries of the Chamber. During Question Time, or for other special occasions, it might
be possible for public visitors to reserve seats in the galleries by making a booking with the
Serjeant-at-Arms' Office. Some 100,000 visitors (not including school students, see p. 67)
view proceedings from the galleries each year. In addition, Members have been permitted
to make bookings with the Speaker's Office for up to two tickets in the Speaker's gallery
during Question Time.
At other times, visitors are able to enter the galleries of the Chamber whenever the building
is open to the public.
64
Speaker's brief j 2011
In 2009 an interdepartmental working group made a series of recommendations about the
management and use of public areas of the building. Work on implementing the
recommendations is in progress; the public displays are likely to be considered further in
the context of planning for the 25th anniversary of Parliament House.
Two House of Representatives touch screen kiosks are located in the public areas of
Parliament House: 'A House for the Nation' kiosk which examines the first 100 years of the
House and the 'Meet your MP' kiosk which provides information on the 150 Members of the
House.
65
Speaker's brief 2011
9 Parliamentary education
The Parliamentary Education Office (PEO) provides parliamentary education services to
schools, teachers and students. More specifically, the functions of the PEO include:
• the development of an extensive range of web material and print publications to
provide information on Parliament to teachers and students
• working closely with Senators and Members to support the delivery of
parliamentary education services and materials to students, teachers and schools in
their State or electorates
• the provision of experiential learning programs for school students visiting
Parliament House or participating in outreach programs
• the publication of curriculum and teaching material, including electronically through
the PEO website
• the conduct of professional development activities for teachers
• assistance to community groups in organising tailored programs for young people at
Parliament House.
The PEO is seen as a valuable resource by Members of Parliament, especially Members of
the House, in assisting them to inform students and teachers in their electorates about the
parliamentary process. Wherever possible, both in Canberra and elsewhere, the PEO
endeavours to involve a local Member or Senator in its educational programs, including
school-based activities and those conducted at Parliament House. The PEO also conducts
regular visits to Members' offices to promote new materials and publications. The financial
and administrative arrangements for the PEO are the subject of a memorandum of
understanding between the House and Senate departments. Both the House and Senate
departments fund the office, which is staffed by the latter department. The department
works in partnership with the PEO, for example, in relation to committees and publications,
where there are mutual benefits. The two departments confer in the development of policy
and all major PEO activities.
The Director of the PEO (Simon Harvey) is responsible to the Senate Clerk Assistant
(Procedure) (Bronwyn Notzon) and is responsive to the Clerk Assistant (Table) in the
department (Claressa Surtees), who represents the interests of the House in dealing with the
PEO.
The Advisory Committee, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, oversees the operations of the
PEO. Other than the Chair, membership in this Parliament has consisted of four Members
and four Senators with party representation of four ALP and four coalition members. A
further position on the Committee is available for minor party or independent
representation; no nomination has been received.
67
Speaker's brief \ 2011
More than 110,000 students visit Parliament House each year (114,598 in 2010-11) as part
of the School Visits Program, which includes a formal education program. All bookings are
administered by the Serjeant-at-Arms' Office. The classroom programs are provided by the
Parliamentary Education Office, which is managed by the Department of the Senate, and the
guided tours of the Chambers and building are provided by Visitors Services, DPS.
For 17 years the Parliament provided a subsidy, under the Citizenship Visits Program, to final
year primary students and secondary students who travelled more than 1000 kilometres to
participate in education programs in Parliament House. On the initiative of the government,
the CVP, which faced increasing demand from schools, ceased on 30 June 2006. It had been
administered by the Serjeant-at-Arms' Office. From 1 July 2006 the government established
a new subsidy program, the Parliamentary and Civics Education Rebate (PACER),
administered by the Department of Education, Science and Training, which includes the
subsidies previously provided by the CVP. The Deputy Serjeant-at-Arms and senior staff of
the Serjeant-at-Arms' Office represent the parliamentary departments on the PACER
Advisory Committee, which meets every two months.
6 8 I :'..
Speaker's brief I 2011
Attachment 1 - Corporate Plan 2010 - 2013
This plan sets out a framework and key priorities within which the department's annual
business plans will be developed and work progressed from 2010 to 2013.
The department has important responsibilities in supporting the Australian Parliament, in
particular the House of Representatives and its committees and Members. As well as
supporting day to day activities, the department is aware of its wider obligations. The
development of this plan has been a good opportunity to look at longer-term responsibilities
as well as those which must be discharged on a daily basis.
A key step in gathering ideas for the development of this plan was the annual planning day
in 2010 in which a majority of staff participated. The ideas from the planning day, and from
other sources, were picked up and refined to develop the final plan. Members were
informed of the process and given the opportunity to contribute. Regard has also been had
to the interests and plans of the Department of the Senate and the Department of
Parliamentary Services so that a parliament-wide view could be taken.
The years 2010 to 2013 will offer many challenges for the House itself and for the
department. I am confident that this plan provides a practical framework for the
department's work and I commend it to you.
Since 1901 our department's people have been serving the House of Representatives, the
Speaker, Members, and the Australian Parliament with professional and impartial support.
Over time we have worked consistently to improve the value of our advice and services,
through cost and time efficiencies, technological improvements, and by expanding the
nature of our services and our range of clients. We seek to do more than to serve the House
and Parliament efficiently. We seek to strengthen the Parliament through the excellence of
our work and behaviour.
Externally, our operating environment is increasingly complex. We face the same scrutiny
and calls for change that apply across the public sector generally, as well as budgetary
pressures that have an additional impact on us as a small department. As always, we will
respond to challenges with confidence, drawing on our leadership and technical skills and
our strong professional relationships.
Our leaders, our people and our systems have undergone change and renewal, but our
values remain constant. In keeping with the Constitution's separate recognition of the
House and the Senate within the Parliament, we will maintain our unique identity and
culture as we build on our cooperative relationships with the other parliamentary
departments to support the House and the Parliament.
6 9 I P .< ;• ^
Speaker's brief; 2011
To support the House of Representatives, and the wider Parliament, in the role of a
representative and legislative body by providing advice and services of a high standard.
To achieve this purpose, we provide facilities, support, advice and information to ensure
that:
• the Chamber and Main Committee operate effectively
• parliamentary committees operate effectively
• Members receive appropriate services to fulfil their parliamentary duties
• international and regional relationships with other Parliaments, parliamentary
bodies and organisations are maintained
• the community understands, and interacts with, the work of the House of
Representatives and the Australian Parliament.
The way we achieve these objectives and measures of performance are set out in our annualanc l business and other plans, and progress is reported in our
annual report.
We uphold and promote the parliamentary service values and adhere to the Code of
Conduct set out in the Parliamentary Service Act 1999.
In providing advice and services, and in our interactions with each other, we will show:
Integrity and Impartiality by demonstrating high ethical standards and being unbiased
and non-partisan;
Professionalism by providing high quality advice and services, promptly,
effectively and efficiently;
Commitment to service by striving to meet as best we can the needs of the House,
the Speaker, Members, the public and others and always
seeking to improve; and
Mutual respect by treating all people with fairness, respect and courtesy.
We recognise that our future success depends on the effort we make to improve and sustain
our knowledge, skills and motivation. We give our people autonomy to achieve the best
results they can while encouraging them to share their knowledge with others. We enhance
their prospects to learn and develop and we value them for their contribution and diversity.
70
Speaker's brief) 2011
in return, our people have made the department more efficient and effective through tested
innovations. They have built a breadth of knowledge about the House and its related
activities. Our people support and collaborate with each other, so that we achieve results
with mutual respect and learning.
We are large enough to invest in training and rotate people internally to experience the
range of the department's work. We are also small enough to build strong internal
relationships that support our capacity to do our work.
Our priorities for the next three years seeks to build on our capacity to serve our clients,
develop our people, sustain our capability and work collaboratively with each other and
other key people and organisations
We seek to strengthen our culture of service to our clients - the House of Representatives,
its Members and committees, other parliamentary clients and the wider community.
We will encourage excellence in service provision and pursue improvements to services and
greater efficiencies in their delivery.
We will do this by:
• providing targeted induction programs for new Members and tailoring our services
to better respond to all Members as their needs change
• promoting public knowledge of the parliamentary process and the role of the
Parliament, and ensuring that the community is aware of and encouraged to
participate in committee activities
• fostering professional relationships with clients
• gathering feedback from Members and other clients, and being responsive to
requirements
• seeking to use technology more efficiently and more creatively to deliver services
• monitoring developments in parliamentary and public administration and applying
as appropriate
• nurturing a flexible, integrated and cohesive department while recognising
individual talents and responsibilities.
We work together to ensure our people have the capability to provide high quality service
and that the department is a good place to work.
We continue to enhance the capabilities and skills of our people to make our working
environment better by:
• ensuring our culture complements our values
711 r - -
Speaker's brief j 2011
• managing talent well
• working co-operatively to achieve our goals and to recognise our achievements
• promoting a shared responsibility for leadership and mutual support, and
encouraging people at all levels to demonstrate leadership
• being innovative and flexible to draw the best from all staff
• reviewing and adopting strategies that attract and retain capable staff and
encourage a mix of mobility and experience
• continuing to support and encourage training and development, particularly in the
parliamentary context, and continuing to develop our knowledge and skills in the
application of parliamentary law, practice and procedure
• supporting and recognising adherence to our values and the Parliamentary Service
Values
• adopting flexible strategies to support staff with varying workloads, sharing work
experience through shadowing and fostering appropriate work life balance for
people in all areas
• ensuring effective performance management through ongoing feedback, recognition
of high performance and active management of underperformance.
We will ensure that our capability to support our clients and the parliamentary institution
effectively continues by:
• identifying and seeking to obtain the resources needed to meet the requirements of
the House into the future, based on the role of the House and the needs of our
Members, opportunities for innovation and efficiency identified by our people, and
enhanced measurement of departmental performance and capability
• effectively managing our finances within a sound framework
• supporting environmental sustainability in our work
• having in place and applying a comprehensive risk management framework
• nurturing the parliamentary institution to enhance the representative, legislative
and scrutiny roles of the House
• adopting flexible strategies in response to the workload variations of the
parliamentary cycle, and where possible promoting flexibility through consistency of
practice
• strengthening communication and information-sharing across the department
• enhancing departmental records management, including integrating electronic
document management systems into our daily work practices
• continuing to apply and develop information and communication technologies that
improve our ability to meet the needs of our clients effectively and efficiently
• ensuring that our governance arrangements remain current, and that compliance
with associated policies and practice is promoted and monitored
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Speaker's brieff 2011
® ensuring that our business continuity strategies remain appropriate to known and
emerging risks, and are understood and adhered to
• safeguarding the integrity of House and Committee records and documents for the
benefit of future generations.
We will strengthen our collaboration, both in Australia and internationally, with
parliamentary colleagues, other public sector agencies and organisations committed to the
development of parliamentary institutions.
We will develop our services to Members of Parliament and the Australian community by:
• drawing on our relationships with each other to share knowledge and ideas across
the department, to work together on projects of common interest and to pass on to
colleagues the benefits of our tradition of professional support to the House
• exchanging ideas with our parliamentary colleagues in Australia and beyond, and
contributing to research organisations, non-government bodies and other groups
committed to the study and strengthening of Parliaments
• identifying and promoting opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration with
other organisations, including on ICT, shared services and cross-agency service
delivery where appropriate
• further developing our governance arrangements for such collaboration to ensure
that it is sustainable and meets the needs of the House
• continuing to develop our information resources, and technology for their delivery,
to enable the Australian community to be aware of and contribute to the work of
the House.
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Speaker's brief I 2011
Attachment 2 - The department's service charterThis Charter represents a commitment by staff in the Department of the House of
Representatives to provide advice and services of the highest standard, cost effectively, to
assist the House of Representatives in fulfilling its role as a representative and legislative
body.
The advice and services we provide are non-partisan, focussing on the needs of the House of
Representatives and the committees which it appoints rather than the political or electorate
interests of Members.
We are committed to providing you with the best service possible, within the limit of
available resources. We will do this in a manner consistent with the Parliamentary Service
Values and the Parliamentary Service Code of Conduct. In particular we will show:
• Integrity and impartiality - by demonstrating high ethical standards and being
unbiased and non-partisan
• Professionalism - by providing high quality advice and services, promptly, effectively
and efficiently
• Commitment to service - by striving to meet as best as we can the needs of the
House, the Speaker, Members, the public and others and always seeking to improve
® Mutual respect - by treating all people with fairness, respect and courtesy.
We will:
provide advice, information and services that are timely, accurate, clear and as
complete as possible
if we are unable to respond immediately to requests for advice, information or
services, let you know what steps we are taking to provide a response and agree a
timeframe with you or direct you to someone who may be able to help
ensure that information on our website is up to date.
We will:
ensure the following documents are available on the House of Representatives
internet website within the tsmeframes indicated - government bills (within one
hour of presentation), amendments to bills (within one hour of circulation), the
Notice Paper (within two hours of House rise), the Votes and Proceedings (within
two hours of House rise), the Daily Program (at least one hour before the House
sitting)
74
Speaker's brief 2011
ensure that adequate copies of the following documents are available in the
Chamber for the use of Members - government bills, amendments and other
documents under discussion, the Notice Paper and the Daily Program
ensure Members have access to current standing and sessional orders and
publications explaining the procedures and practice of the House
ensure that tabled documents are available for Members either via the on-line
ordering system or, if stock is available, immediately upon tabling through the Table
Office inquiry counter.
We will:
develop strategies, publications and products that promote community awareness
and understanding of, and interaction with, the work of the House of
Representatives
respond to your requests for publications within one working day.
We will:
support the information gathering activities of committees by providing well
informed and balanced research and analytical services and effective administrative
support
develop and implement strategies to promote public awareness of and participation
in committee inquiries
provide briefing papers for private meetings and for information gathering activities
of committees (for example, public hearings, inspections or seminars) in a time
frame that is acceptable to each committee, generally at least 2 days before a
committee meeting and at least 3 days before an information gathering event
provide report drafting services that result in clearly expressed, well structured, well
informed and well argued draft reports that, in the first instance, express the views
of the Committee Chair
provide publication services that result in the timely printing, presentation and
distribution of committee reports
ensure timely placement on the House of Representatives website of submissions to
committee inquiries, transcripts of evidence, committee reports and government
responses to committee reports
develop and implement strategies to ensure the effective promotion of the results
of committee inquiries.
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Speaker's brief j 2011
We will:
ensure that programs of outgoing delegations reflect the interests of the delegates
as far as possible and take into account Australia's interests and those of the
Parliament
ensure that delegates are debriefed following outgoing delegations and that
delegation reports are presented to the Parliament in a timely manner
provide opportunities for Members to meet with incoming parliamentary
delegations in which Members have an interest.
We will:
ensure, subject to entitlements, that you and your staff have fully equipped and
serviced offices in Parliament House, including IT equipment, televisions, stores and
mail deliveries and collection, and access to appropriate printing facilities, to
adequately carry out your parliamentary duties
provide advice on your entitlements and processes relating to your salaries and
entitlements, and implement relevant legislative and administrative decisions
ensure the safety and accessibility of Parliament.
Our Charter is a starting point for us as we strive continuously to improve our service to you.
It also represents a means by which you can assess our services.
We survey a sample of Members annually as to Members' satisfaction with our services, and
we would welcome feedback on our services at any time.
Mr Bernard Wright, Clerk
Telephone: (02) 6 2 7 7 0 |
Mr David Elder, Deputy Clerk
Telephone: (02)
Ms Claressa Surtees, Clerk Assistant (Table)
Telephone: (02)
Ms Joanne Towner, Clerk Assistant (Committees)
Telephone: (02) 6 2 7 7 f l H
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Speaker's brief; 2011
Attachment 3 - Community sendee standardsTo everyone interested in the Parliament.
The purpose of the Department of the House of Representatives is to provide cost effective
advice and services of the highest standard to assist the House of Representatives in fulfilling
its role as a representative and legislative body.
In supporting the House, the department has a commitment to assist everyone who visits
the House or wants to know more about or contribute to the work of the Australian
Parliament.
This Service Charter has been developed to inform you of the services that we provide to the
community. It has evolved from broad consultation, including discussions with staff and
members of the public.
We intend to report annually on our performance in relation to this Charter and would
welcome any comments you have on the services we provide. We invite you to forward
your comments to the Department of the House of Representatives, Parliament House,
Canberra ACT 2600 or to [email protected]
Bernard Wright
Clerk of the House
This Charter reflects our commitment to assist everyone who visits the House or wants to
know more about or contribute to the work of the Australian Parliament.
The advice and services that we provide are non-partisan, focusing on the work of the House
of Representatives and the committees which it appoints - rather than the political or
electorate interests of Members.
We are committed to providing you with the best service possible. We will do this in a
manner consistent with the Parliamentary Service Values and the Parliamentary Service
Code of Conduct.
In providing you with information and services we will:
® demonstrate high ethical standards
• be professional, impartial and non-partisan
• be open, honest and helpful
® be responsive to your requests
• treat you with respect and fairness
• treat any complaints seriously and respond to them.
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Speaker's brief 12011
Through our internet site at www.aph.gov.au/house or through contact with us, we can
assist you with information about:
• the activities and procedures of the House
• the passage of legislation through both Houses
• lodging petitions
• the chamber galleries and making a booking to observe Question Time
• parliamentary committees and their inquiries
• participation in a parliamentary committee inquiry including advice on making a
submission to an inquiry
• where parliamentary committee public hearings are being held
• access to documents, including committee reports, tabled in the Parliament
• community outreach initiatives such as seminars, displays and exhibitions
• parliamentary education activities including school visits
® contacting your local Member
• interparliamentary visits and conferences
• gaining access, including for the purposes of filming and photography, to the
Parliament building and parliamentary precincts and the chamber galleries
• the guidelines for demonstrations in the parliamentary precincts.
We will ensure that the information available on our internet site
will be up-to-date and accurate. The latest news from the House will be available at
If you telephone us, we will:
• identify ourselves by name when answering the telephone
• respond to your calls quickly.
If the information that you request is not immediately available, we will tell you when you
can expect it. If we are not able to meet your request, we undertake to refer you to the
appropriate organisation or service.
If you write, fax or email us, we will:
• act on your requests for printed information within five working days
• reply to other written correspondence within 20 working days, sending an interim
reply where a full response is not possible immediately
• in our reply, give you the name and contact details of someone who can provide
further help, if needed.
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Speaker's brief j 2011
Mailing address-
Department of the House of Representatives
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Fax number—02 6277 8519
Email address—[email protected]
We welcome feedback on our performance so we can improve our standards of service. If
you have any comments, including suggestions for improvement or complaints, please let us
know. Contact details for all areas of the department are as follows:
Telephone numbers—
Clerk Assistant (Committees)—6277jH§(commsttee reports, inquiries, submissions, public
hearing venues, inter-parliamentary visits)
Clerk Assistant (Table)—6277§BP(legislation, petitions, papers tabled in the House of
Representatives, information about how the House operates))
Serjeant-at-Arms—6277^BP(access to building, media policy, school visits program,
security)
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Speaker's brief 12011
Attachment 4 - Members" survey results 2011A Members' survey was initiated by the Department of the House of Representatives in
May-June 2011 to identify levels of satisfaction with services provided by the department.
This is the eighth year the survey has been conducted and the questions have been identical
over the period with the exception of a question on the in-house printing service that was
removed from the 2010 survey following the cessation of this service. This information is
required for internal and external reporting purposes and as a benchmark for service
provision.
A group of 30 Members were randomly selected for survey and given the opportunity to be
interviewed by staff from the department. Members were assured of confidentiality in the
survey. A total of 24 surveys (80 per cent) were completed and five Members were available
for interview.
All participants in the survey were asked if they were satisfied overall with the services they
received from the department. Members were unanimously highly satisfied with the
department's support in helping them fulfil their parliamentary duties and complimented
the professionalism and courtesy of staff. The responses to the other questions asked in the
survey and during interviews are contained in the table below. The result is an
overwhelming endorsement that the department is providing quality service, with a
98 per cent satisfaction rate, overall. The satisfaction rate last year was also 98 per cent.
The participants in the survey were also asked a question about their satisfaction level with
the legislative drafting support they receive. Fourteen of the Members responding stated
they were satisfied with the service, compared with 10 last year. The remainder stated they
had not used the service.
In relation to suggestions for change, there was encouragement to continue and improve
good service provision.
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Speaker's brief; 2011
Table: Members' satisfaction levels with departmental services (figures in brackets are
from the 2009 survey)
Service area Extremely Highly Satisfied Motsatisfied satisfied satisfied
Advice and services receivedfrom the Clerks at the Table inthe Chamber and Main 1 6 <7) 7 (9) " (2) " (")Committee
Advice and services receivedfrom other staff in relation toChamber and Main Committee 15 (5) 7 ( 1 0 ) 1 ^ "" (~)duties
Quality and availability ofprocedural and statisticalpublications and support in 7(4) 1 3 (8) 3 (6) — (—)obtaining such information
Procedural advice, research,analytical drafting andadministrative support services 1:L ^ 7 (5) 3 (7) ™~ ( " )in relation to committeeenquiries and publication of thefinal report
Rating of the House ofRepresentatives magazine Aboutthe House
Advice and support received inrelation to overseasparliamentary delegation visits
Services in relation to payentitlements supplied by thedepartment
Services provided by theSerjeant-at-Arms' Office
Information on Members' homepages on the Parliament Houseinternet site
7(1)
5(3)
6(3)
12(3)
7(1)
9(9)
3(3)
8(5)
7(9)
5(7)
8(6)
1(8)
7(10)
2(6)
11(9)
3H
Note: Not every Member who completed the survey had used the full range of services.
82 | .
Speaker's brief 2011
Attachment 5 -Committees supported by the departmentThe Committee Office of the department supports nine general purpose standing
committees, six joint standing committees, three joint statutory committees, and one joint
select committee grouped into eight secretariats as follows:
Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs
Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit
Standing Committee on Agriculture, Resources, Fisheries and Forestry
Joint Standing Committee on Migration
Joint Standing Committee on Treaties
Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety
Standing Committee on Regional Australia
Standing Committee on Education and Employment
Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters
Standing Committee on Economics
Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories
Joint Standing Committee on the National Broadband Network
Standing Committee on Climate Change, Environment and the Arts
Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications
Standing Committee on Health and Ageing
Parliamentary Joint Committee on Public Works
Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security
Two former joint select committees (inquiring into the proposed Parliamentary Budget
Office and the clean energy Bills) were also supported within this secretariat structure.
Six domestic standing committees and the Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of
Parliamentary Proceedings were supported by other functional areas of the department.
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Speaker's briefj 2011
Attachment 6 - Guidelines on provision of services to theSpeaker
The Speaker is provided with facilities at public expense in order that parliamentary business
may be conducted effectively. The use of these facilities should be in accordance with this
principle. The basic rule is that official facilities should be used for official purposes. The
distinction between official and personal conduct is not always clear (e.g.. in relation to the
provision of hospitality/entertainment and use of car transport) but actions should be
calculated to give the public value for its money and not allow any perception of misuse of
the privileges which attach to the office of the Speaker.
The Speaker is provided with support primarily from two sources: Ministerial and
Parliamentary Services within the Department of Finance and Deregulation and the
Department of the House of Representatives. The division of responsibility for services is
described below.
Ministerial and Parliamentary Services (MAPS) has responsibility for:
® payment of travelling allowance
• the provision of all travel within Australia by the Speaker, spouse or nominee
and dependent children
• the cost of a private plated vehicle in the Speaker's electorate
• the cost of the Speaker's official overseas visits including personal staff and
spouse (but excluding departmental staff and hospitality of a personal nature)
® electorate office accommodation, furniture, equipment, stationery and office
requisites for the Speaker and electorate staff
• additional office accommodation in the capital city of the Speaker's home State
or Territory and supply of standard furniture to that office
• the Speaker's information delivery service entitlement (formerly postage
entitlement) as a Member
• communication entitlement as a Member (including mobile phones and
residential telephone services and data line)
• computer and other training for electorate staff.
MAPS has offices in Canberra and the capital city of each State and the Northern Territory
and approves requests for the services outlined above.
84
Speaker's brief I 2011nMWtmK&wvmw'r'Pmstt ^<%£&Am^xw>pmmwm?miw-''W»S''#%' ^ ^ X / ^ B V ^
The department is responsible for:
• payment of the Speaker's salary including the additional salary component for
the office of Speaker and electorate allowance
• the provision of all travel within Australia of the Speaker's personal staff
• the costs of official cars, including any private plated vehicle in Canberra for the
Speaker (NB the Speaker can nominate approved drivers by name, including
spouse and staff)
• the supply of furniture, equipment (including computer equipment), stationery
and office requisites for the Speaker's office in Parliament House
® the supply of equipment (including computer equipment), stationery and office
requisites (and any additional furniture items) to an office in the capital city of
the Speaker's home State or Territory (note that the supply of furniture etc to an
office in the capital city of the Speaker's home State and Territory should avoid
unreasonable duplication of facilities available within Parliament House)
• additional equipment or office requisites at the Speaker's home essential for
him/her to perform duties as Speaker
• postage for use in relation to the Speaker's duties
• the costs of additional official residential telephone, data and fax services and
telephone charge cards for the Speaker
• official hospitality within Australia
• mobile telephones for the Speaker and the Speaker's personal staff
• membership fees of business organisations related to the Speaker's functional
responsibilities
• the provision of semi-official residential telephone, data and fax services and
telephone charge cards for senior staff nominated by the Speaker
• payment of conference and training fees for the Speaker's staff, as well as any
membership of airline lounges.
f :
Requests for the provision of facilities and services that are the responsibility of the
Department of the House of Representatives should be directed to the Serjeant-at-Arms in
the first instance.
As noted above, the department provides official hospitality to the Speaker within Australia.
Such hospitality can be provided to persons or groups with whom the Speaker needs to
meet in connection with his/her official parliamentary duties. It may also be necessary for
the Speaker to offer to return hospitality that has been provided to him/her by these
persons or groups.
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Speaker's briefj 2011
Official hospitality and representation activities are areas of higher risk in terms of
perceptions of misuse and may be subject to extensive external scrutiny because they
involve the use of public money. Official hospitality must be approved in advance by the
Senior Adviser to the Speaker, or, for hospitality including the Senior Adviser, the Speaker.
In considering whether to approve hospitality an important consideration is whether the
arrangements would survive critical public scrutiny. This requires that hospitality be at the
appropriate minimum standard, expense be kept to a minimum and details such as the cost,
purpose, date, venue and description of those attending be recorded: if the hospitality does
not facilitate the Parliament's official business it should not be approved. The department
can advise, contact the Serjeant-at-Arms.
Department of the House of Representatives
November 2011
86 | : <
Speaker's brief 2011
Attachment 7 - Agreement for a. Better Parliament:Parliamentary Reform (6 September 2010)
There are 150 local MPs that have recently been elected by the communities of Australia to
the House of Representatives. This document is a combined effort to increase the authority
and opportunities for participation for all MPs, regardless of their political party or their
status of office.
The principles behind this document are twofold; to confirm 150 local MPs (and by
extension their communities) as the foundation blocks of our Australian system of
democracy, and increasing the authority of the Parliament in its relationship with the
Executive.
For these improvements to work, it will take a commitment by all MPs to respect the
cultural change that these changes bring. While the community demands a 'feisty; and
'testing' parliamentary floor, there will be a need for recognition by all to allow more MPs to
be involved in various roles and debates, to allow more community issues to be tested
through private Members voting, and to allow a Speaker (in particular) to rule with a firm
hand as debate tests the boundaries of the Standing Orders on the floor.
The Executive will also need to show a commitment to the cultural change that this moment
brings, and will need to be more flexible, more consultative, and more engaged with all MPs
if these new arrangements are to work.
This document has been produced through engagement with many people, including former
Speakers and Clerks, MPs, party "elders", and members of the community. This broad
engagement has been done in an endeavour to achieve improvements that are sustainable
beyond the current three year-term, and improvements that work for all. All are thanked
for their considered involvement.
An expanded Selection Committee will be established, including aligned and non-aligned
Members.
The Committee will be chaired by the Speaker.
All Members will receive the same rights for the purposes of facilitating their full
participation in all processes of the House. For the purposes of Standing Order 41A,
Question Time and participation in all other debates, all Members interests would be
guaranteed by the Selection Committee.
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Speaker's brief} 2011
The role of the Speaker will be independent of government.
If the Speaker is drawn from a political party then the Deputy Speaker will be drawn from an
alternate political party and both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker will:
• abstain from attending their respective party rooms
• when in the Chair, be paired for all divisions.
If the Speaker is non-aligned, then the same pairing arrangements will apply.
The Speaker and Deputy Speaker can participate in Private Members' Business but cannot
vote.
Members of the Speakers Panel will be temporarily paired when occupying the chair during
votes.
The Speaker will rigorously enforce the Standing Orders of his or her own motion.
At the beginning of each sitting day, prior to prayers, the Speaker will make an
acknowledgement of country.
Questions during Question Time be limited to forty five seconds and answers to four
minutes.
It is noted that a Member may ask leave of the House for an extension of time.
The Leader of the Opposition or their delegate has the option of asking one supplementary
question during each Question Time.
Question Time will conclude no later than 3.30pm, enabling 20 questions each day in the
normal course of events.
The Speaker shall give due regard to Standing Order 100 dealing with the material that
questions may contain but not in such a way that would inhibit the ability of the opposition
to hold the government to account.
88 | :' ,
Speaker's brief i 2011
The Standing Orders be amended so that answers must be ''directly relevant to the
question", with the Speaker to lead on enforcement of the relevance test.
The government and opposition will support the Speaker in taking a strong stance on this
issue.
A proportionate share of the Questions be allocated to non-aligned Members, including the
order in which those questions are asked during Question Time.
The Standing Orders be principally raised and enforced by the Speaker.
The point of order on relevance can only be once per question.
It is the preference in Question-Time for both questioners and Ministers to use best
endeavours not to use notes. It is understood there are times when notes should be used to
assist in providing the House with the best possible information in the most accurate and
timely way possible. However, at all other times, the preference is no notes.
This will be reviewed at the end of the first session to see if further restrictions on use of
notes in Question Time can and should be applied.
The maximum length of discussion on Matters of Public Importance be extended to 1 hour
and thirty minutes. That the proposer and the next speaker be allowed to speak for up to 15
minutes and that other speakers be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes.
The Matter of Public Importance debate will immediately follow Question Time.
A proportionate share of Matters of Public Importance be allocated to all non-government
Members.
The Speaker, the Leader of the House, and the Selection committee, will ensure time is
allocated for votes on Private Members' Bills during Government Business time in the Main
Chamber.
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Speaker's brief} 2011
The Standing Orders will be amended to provide for:
• a period of committee and delegation business and private Members' business
to be given priority in the Chamber on Mondays from 12 noon - 1.45pm,
beginning with Petitions Committee report and statement(s) for 10 minutes
• quorums and divisions called during the period of committee and delegation
business and private Members' business being deferred until 5pm on Monday
• the Main Committee to regularly meet on Mondays from 10.30 am to 1.30 pm,
commencing with a 30 minute period of three minute constituency statements
as provided by standing order 193, followed by committee and delegation
reports and private Members' business being given priority
• 90 second statements to take place from 1.45 pm each day, prior to Question
Time, in the Main Chamber
• a period of committee and delegation business and private Members' business
to be given priority in the Chamber from 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm
• the adjournment to be proposed at 9.30 pm on Mondays, and the House
adjourning at 10 pm.
The Adjournment Debate shall be one hour on Monday and Tuesdays, and 30 minutes on
Wednesdays and Thursdays.
15 minutes will be allocated prior to Question Time for Members to make 90 Second
Statements on constituency issues.
Ministerial statements and response be limited to 10 minutes, except in circumstances
agreed to by the Speaker or for Prime Ministerial statements.
The Speaker will ensure that opportunities to respond are provided to non-government
Members.
The number of general purpose standing committees be reduced to nine, comprising
standing committees on:
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
90 I
Speaker's brief 2011
• Economics
• Education and Employment
• Climate Change, Environment and the Arts
• Health and Ageing
• infrastructure and communications
• Social Policy and Legal Affairs
• Agriculture, Resources, Fisheries and Forestry
• Regional Australia.
Membership of committees will ideally be seven. Committee membership will fully reflect
membership of the House, including the crossbench.
The maximum number of supplementary members for each general purpose standing
committee inquiry be increased to four; with supplementary members having full
participatory rights, other than voting rights.
The powers of Committees be referred immediately to the Committee of Chairs as soon as
established to ensure the most authority possible for Committees within allocated
resources.
The Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts and Audit be drawn
from a member of a non-government party or a non-aligned Member.
All Bills to be introduced into the House be referred immediately to the Selection
Committee.
All Bills regarded as controversial or requiring further consultation or debate be immediately
referred to the relevant Standing or Joint Committee to allow a period of discussion and
public consultation on introduction. One member objecting in the Selection Committee will
be sufficient to declare a Bill controversial.
Non-controversial Bills will be authorised for immediate introduction into the House.
This mechanism will be reviewed to ensure it does not cause unnecessary delays to the
House legislative processes, and is indeed a mechanism to speed up the legislative agenda.
Within six months of a House or Joint committee report being presented in the House, a
government response will be tabled in the House. If no such response has been received
within six months of such a report being presented in the House, a statement signed by the
91
Speaker's brief [2011
relevant Minister (or Minister representing the Minister) must be tabled stating the reasons
why the response could not be prepared in time.
The Minister (or Minister representing the Minister) must also make themselves available to
appear before the relevant Committee at the next reasonably available opportunity to
answer questions on that statement.
Following this, issues of dispute between a Parliamentary Committee and an Executive will
be referred to the Auditor-General for further follow-up, clarification, and attempted
resolution.
A timely response to Committee Reports will be included as a Key Performance Indicator in
the employment arrangements of Agency Heads.
The Clerks will ensure a report on the status of responses to Committee Reports in included
in the Notice Paper on a monthly basis online.
Standing orders will be amended to provide for committee Chairs to make short statements
during private Members' business time, informing the House of new inquiries being
undertaken by the committee.
The time limit allocated for all Members speaking on Bills will be reduced from 20 to 15
minutes.
The Selection Committee is able to determine, where a Bill is not controversial, that time
limits for speaking on that Bill be reduced to 5 or 10 minutes.
Where a large number of Members wish to speak on a particular Bill, the Selection
Committee can, by agreement, place limits on speaking times to facilitate as many Members
as possible speaking on the Bill.
The Speaker, with the Selection Committee, is to consider and potentially trial 5 minutes of
questions (30 second question with two minute answers) at the end of all MP's speeches, so
as to encourage "smarter debate".
The Leader of the House in consultation with the Selection Committee will ensure that;
• during Government Business time in the Main Chamber additional time will be
allocated for the summing up of Appropriations and related Budget Bills by the
Minister for Finance
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Speaker's brief I 2011
• additional time is allocated for the Consideration in Detail process in the Main
Committee.
The Standing Orders be amended so that there may be a recommittal of a vote on the same
sitting day when a Member is inadvertently absent following a successful suspension of
standing orders after debate.
The Senate resolution on appropriation bills which contain matters which should have been
the subject of separate legislation is noted. To prevent this occurring, the parties and non-
aligned Members agree to developing a mechanism to resolve this issue prior to the next
appropriation bills being introduced.
A mechanism be established to ensure a commencement date be included in all legislation.
That more sitting weeks each year be considered depending on Government and Private
Members Business.
A Parliamentary Budget Office be established, based in the Parliamentary Library, to provide
independent costings, fiscal analysis and research to all Members of Parliament, especially
non-government Members.
The structure, resourcing and protocols for such an Office be the subject of a decision by a
special committee of the Parliament which is truly representative of the Parliament.
The Speaker will arrange for an external review of staffing levels within the Department of
the House of Representatives Committee Office and the Parliamentary Library.
This will incorporate a work analysis to determine the nature and level of secretariat support
necessary for the ongoing inquiry work of committees, to ensure that the House committee
system is supported by an adequate number of appropriately qualified staff.
A House Committee on Appropriations and Staffing be established, chaired by the Speaker,
to make recommendations to the House on:
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Speaker's brief! 2011
estimates of the funding required for the operation of the Department of the
House of Representatives; such estimates, once agreed by the House, are to be
conveyed by the Speaker to the Minister for Finance and Deregulation for
consideration and approval
proposals for changes to the administrative structure of, or service provision by,
the Department of the House of Representatives
administration and funding of security measures affecting the House
any other matters of finance or services referred to it by the Speaker or the
House
the Liaison Committee of Chairs and Deputy Chairs have a more active role in
monitoring the resources available to committees, with the Chair to report to
the House Committee on Appropriations and Staffing on committee activities
and resource levels.
The Leader of the House, with the Speaker will investigate the adequacy of teleconferencing
and videoconferencing facilities available to committees; and consideration of any upgrades
or additional facilities required to meet current and anticipated future demand from
committees.
Additional mechanisms will be considered that responsibly deal with essential absences by
Members from the House, including 'pairs'.
The government and opposition will guarantee a 'pair' to non-aligned Members providing
there are reasonable grounds.
These arrangements may be similar to those that currently occur between the Whips in the
Senate.
This commissioner would be supervised by the privileges committee from both House and
Senate to provide advice, administration and reporting on parliamentary entitlements,
investigate and make recommendations to the Privileges Committees on individual
investigations, provide advice to parliamentarians on ethical issues and uphold the
Parliamentary Code of Conduct and control and maintain the government's lobbyists
register.
A cross-party working group and inquiry process will be established to draft a code of
conduct for members of the House and the Senate. Once established, this code will be
overseen by the Privileges committee.
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Further enhancements to the Register of Lobbyists be examined, including to the online
publication of the Register and to place the register under the supervision of the
Parliamentary Integrity Commissioner.
A mechanism will be established to review all standing order and other procedural changes
in this agreement and will report following the first session of this Parliament.
It is expected, through the life of this Parliament, and with Private Members Bills now having
the ability to be voted on, that there will be further steps taken to improve government in
the following way;
® open and accountable government improvements
• further steps on improving democratic operation of the Parliament
• electoral funding improvements
• truth in political advertising improvements.
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